Perceptions Series: 03 The Definition of Peace
by kalinda001
Summary: Just when the invaders have left the galaxy, more trouble arrives. And what is really going on down on the planet? Each character undergoes a significant experience. One big one shocks them all.
1. Chapter 1

This story is part of a larger series of interconnected stories. The first one begins approximately 6 months after the end of the TV Series.

New Patterns and Old Things

01 New Patterns and Old Things, 02 Broken Things, 03 Fighting Back, 04 Hidden Things, 05 Needs are Never Simple,

06 Playing Dangerous Games, 07 The Improbability Zone

Perceptions

01 Damaged Beginnings, 02 Wants and Needs, 03 The Definition of Peace, 04 Sevisia (currently in progress on LiveJournal)

To Be Continued

Chapter One

Argus's voice sounded over the ship's internal comm system, "Avon, I need you up here now!"

"Can't this wait? I'm a little busy down here," answered Avon as he continued fixing the medical apparatus he was working on.

Sester was mortally wounded when a panel exploded near him during their space battle with the invaders. He needed this equipment to be functioning. Since the autorepair units were concentrating on the major ship's systems, medical had a lower priority.

"Well, we're all about to get a lot busier very soon," said Argus.

The tone in Argus's voice made Avon say, "I'll be right there."

Avon wondered if the invaders had changed their minds about leaving. This would not be good. Currently the _Justice_ was almost completely helpless.

He put down the apparatus he was working on and turned to Reya, "I'll be back as soon as possible."

"If you aren't you might not need to anymore," said Reya.

"Is it that bad?" said Avon.

"He's dying. I've got him heavily sedated. If he wasn't he'd be in terrible pain right now. Internal bleeding is not the most painless death," said Reya.

"I won't let him die," he told her. "He still has a lot to answer for."

Avon was glad of the adrenaline and painkillers Reya had suggested he take as he made his way slowly towards the flight deck. Walking faster did not appear to be an option for him anymore. He was almost certain that the alien scientists had deliberately set the knee implant to a higher disability level than he had before.

* * *

"Zen, scan the surface. I want a clear, unpopulated area near the fixed coordinates where Jenna communicated from earlier," said Argus.

"Confirmed. Initiating scan."

Avon arrived on the flight deck and came down the steps.

"What's happening?" he asked.

"Federation pursuit ships," said Argus. "A strike force. Twenty ships. They'll be here in just over an hour."

Avon grimaced. "I prefer spacing my impossible deeds out over several days." He went over to his operations console.

"Yes, that was my reaction too," said Argus.

Zen reported, "Scan complete. Three target areas matching specifications have been identified."

"Show them on a gridded survey map on the main viewer," said Argus.

"Confirmed." The main viewscreen changed to show a topographical map. Three locations were indicated by red dots.

"Zen, show the location of the fixed coordinates."

"Confirmed." An additional spot in blue appeared.

"You're thinking of abandoning ship in the life capsules?" asked Avon.

"Something like that. Unless you have a better idea."

"We can't give them the _Justice_."

"I don't intend to."

"What do you plan to do?" asked Avon suspiciously.

"Zen, program the life capsules for the following coordinates." Using his panel, he indicated a wooded area just outside the city of Papos.

"Confirmed."

"I asked, what do you intend to do?" Avon repeated.

"Avon. Take ORAC down with you. Bring any equipment you need in the life capsules," said Argus.

"You haven't answered my question."

Argus looked at Avon. "The autodestruct function was one of the systems damaged. The ship will have to be exploded manually."

"I see. You plan a heroic gesture. Going down with the ship?" said Avon cynically.

"Not unless I have to. Can you give me a better alternative?"

Avon thought for a few moments and then said, "I could try to rig up a remote detonator."

"You don't have time," said Argus. "The longer you stand here, the less time you have of getting down to the planet safely. Get ORAC and get out of here, Avon."

"Do I have a choice?" asked Avon.

"None of us have a choice, Avon. The others need you down there. They need your technical expertise to give them a chance."

"And you don't think they need you?"

"We are both giving them a chance. Now go," said Argus.

"We never established who gives the orders on this ship," said Avon.

Argus sighed. "Look at it this way, Avon. I am simplifying our debate on who gives the orders."

"I would prefer having a debate."

"You always do. Now get out of here."

"This isn't over," said Avon.

"Let's hope not."

They stared at each other for a moment and then Avon nodded and went over to retrieve ORAC. As Avon was about to go up the steps leaving the flight deck, Argus said, "Avon. Don't forget the drugs."

Avon nodded and left.

"Zen, route the instructions on manual self-destruct to my terminal."

* * *

Avon entered the medical bay with an empty equipment satchel.

"How is he doing?" he asked Reya as he began gathering up medical supplies and equipment and putting them in the satchel.

"Is that a serious question?" asked Reya.

"I guess not. Can he be moved?"

"That's not a good idea unless you want him to die sooner," said Reya.

"Well, we'll have to risk it. I'll get one of the anti-grav carts."

"Avon. What's going on?"

Avon hesitated; he had forgotten that Reya had not been told yet. He wondered what was going on in Argus's mind that he had not told her what he was planning.

_He must not know how to tell you. Or he is afraid to._

"You might want to talk to him first," said Avon.

"Avon."

"There is a Federation strike force arriving in just over an hour. We need to get into the life capsules."

"That's not all though, is it? Otherwise he would have told me himself," said Reya.

_There is only one reason I know why he would avoid telling me_, thought Reya.

"I will help you get Sester into the life capsule first," said Reya.

* * *

"Zen, how long before the pursuit ships are in visual scanner range," asked Argus.

"Thirty-eight minutes. Forty seconds."

He activated the ship's internal comm, "Avon, you have thirty-minutes."

Avon answered over the speaker, "Acknowledged."

"When did you plan to tell me?"

Argus turned and faced the flight deck steps. Reya was standing on the top step.

This was a moment he had been dreading.

As she came down the steps, he noticed that she looked like herself again. The appearance aids which had made her look masculine had been removed.

"Sester is ready to be sent down. Avon is gathering the rest of the equipment he needs," she told him.

"Good," said Argus.

"I'm staying with you," said Reya. Her tone indicated that she was not taking "no" for an answer.

Argus bowed his head. "You can't," he said.

"Don't do this to me, Argus. Don't push me away again."

At this Argus lifted his head and looked into her eyes.

"I'm not. I need you to go down with the others. They will need someone like you."

"What they need is you. They don't even know me."

"No," said Argus. There was anguish in his voice. "Please, Reya. Don't make this harder than it already is."

"Why must you always do this? Haven't you punished yourself enough already?"

"That is not why I'm doing this. After all that has happened, we all need a chance. I am trying to give us a chance."

"Then let me stay with you."

"They have a better chance if one of us is with them. And I couldn't live if I lost you."

"And you think I could live if I lost you?" she said.

Argus sighed. "I guess I'm a coward." He gathered her in his arms. "Stay with me then."

He kissed her. She was warm and wonderful and she was the best thing that ever happened to him.

_You cannot die._

"I love you," he told her. She fell limp in his arms. He had pressed a pressure point at the back of her neck which caused unconsciousness.

"I'm sorry." He held her for a few moments more; then he lifted her up and carried her off the flight deck.

* * *

Avon didn't say anything when Argus carried Reya's limp form to the life capsule corridor and strapped her into one of the capsules. Argus activated the auto-controls on the capsule and sealed it.

Avon had been expecting something like this from Argus.

"Are you ready?" asked Argus.

"She's going to be very angry with you when she wakes up," Avon said.

"We're used to that," said Argus as he helped Avon into his capsule. "Take care of her, Avon."

"I think it might be safer with you then," said Avon.

Argus pressed the life capsule controls.

Just as the capsule closed Avon said, "Don't worry about her."

Argus nodded and activated the three capsule controls. He watched as they moved into the launch positions and were ejected from the launch tubes.

He went back to the flight deck to prepare for the arrival of the strike group.

* * *

"Jenna, this is Argus. Come in." Argus was on the flight deck and had a panel open against the wall. He was making some connections.

An answering reply came over the ship's comm system. It was a masculine voice.

"Argus, this is Allren. Jenna and the others went out to check something."

_Damn. Can't help it now. They're already on their way down._

"Tell them Avon, Reya and Sester are coming down in life capsules. I will have Zen relay the coordinates to you. Do you know when Jenna and the others will be back?"

"Not sure Argus. What's wrong up there? Why are you sending them down in life capsules? Did something happen to the ship?"

"I don't have much time to explain. The others will tell you when they get there. Argus, out."

* * *

The connection closed before Allren had time to ask why Argus did not mention himself coming down in the life capsules as well. He put down the comm unit and went to look out the window. He hoped the others would return soon. Allren hoped that things were not as bad as they appeared.

_This day is just getting better and better. First it seems not all the aliens left and now everyone is abandoning ship? What else can go wrong?_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Reya felt like she was being shaken apart. She opened her eyes. For a moment she was disoriented. She was inside a capsule of some kind and there were instrument lights blinking at her.

_"_No!" she shouted out her anger. She was overwhelmed by the sudden realization of where she was and why.

Tears started streaming down her face.

_Damn you, Argus!_

She wished she could turn the life capsule around but there was no hope of that. Reya hit the sides of the capsule in anger and frustration.

_Why, Argus? Why?_

She knew why. He had told her before he did something to render her unconscious.

_"I love you." _

She could still hear his voice; could hear the love and sadness in his tone. She could still remember the touch of his lips on hers as he kissed her.

_I should have known then what you were going to do. _

She didn't know how she was going to go on without him. It felt as if her heart was being torn apart.

_"I need you to go down with the others. They will need someone like you." _It was his last request.

_I think I always knew it would end this way. We both knew,_ thought Reya.

Reya saw that the landing indicators were now on. She didn't know if she could go on without Argus but she knew she had to.

_I will do this. For you. I will take on this responsibility which was yours, _she promised.

* * *

Argus watched on the main viewscreen as the Federation strike force approached. 

"Information. Sensors register that the _Justice_ is being scanned by detector beams."

_What will their first move be?_

* * *

Cally, Jenna, Vila and Ture were observing a pitched gun fight from a safe distance. They could see numerous people with rifles and handguns shooting at each other from various covered positions. 

"Those do not look like the invaders," said Cally. None of the combatants they were observing wore the invader's uniforms.

"No. They don't, do they?" asked Jenna.

"Aren't those Federation Security troops? Why are they fighting each other?" asked Vila with a puzzled tone.

"There are many civilians with weapons as well," said Ture.

"Yes, those look like the projectile weapons the invaders were using," said Cally.

"I don't get it. Are the invaders gone or not?" asked Vila.

A projectile ricocheted against a wall near them.

"I thought you said this would be a safe distance," said Vila with alarm.

"There's bound to be some random fire which reaches us," said Jenna.

"That's not my idea of safe," said Vila with indignation.

"We need to get closer to take a good look at who these people are," said Jenna.

"I knew you were going to say that," said Vila. He was clearly not happy and getting not happier by the minute.

* * *

In his life capsule, Avon activated the landing controls. He noted that his module was slowly veering away from the other two. 

_That's all I need. _

* * *

By now the Federation ships were close enough for visual identification. Argus had not bothered to ask Zen to identify them. It didn't really matter what they were. It only mattered that they were here. 

Argus recognized them as mainly Starburst class pursuit ships. Built for range. It made sense that these had been the ones sent.

He was ready. Only two connections had to be made for it to be over.

So far there had been no communication from the strike group. He wondered why. They had been within communications range for quite awhile. He was not about to contact them. He wanted them to initiate the first move.

* * *

"Jenna. I think Vila should go back to the residence. He is still injured. It would not be wise for him to get closer to the conflict in case we run into difficulties," said Cally.

There was a very meaningful look in Cally's eyes.

Jenna nodded. "You're right." She turned to Vila. "Vila, why don't you go back and wait for us? Can you manage that on your own?"

There was a look of relief in Vila's eyes. "I can manage." Jenna, Cally and Ture headed closer to the battle as Vila watched them go.

* * *

The Federation ships were right on the _Justice_ now. They were so close that Argus could see the identifying markings along their hulls.

"Zen, what is the status of the ships on the viewscreen? Are their shields or weapons active?"

"Battle computers report shields and weapons are not active on ships within close scanner range."

_They probably don't consider the Justice a threat. Their scanners must have told them we were harmless._

There had still been no communication from the ships. Argus was puzzled.

The lead ships went past the _Justice_. _They're going to surrounding the ship._

The remaining ships also went past, on their way into orbit around Papos. Except for one. This one positioned itself directly in front of the _Justice_.

_That's right. At this point it wouldn't take more than one ship._

Argus waited. He hated waiting but there was not much else he could do. With the _Justice_ in the condition that it was, the sole action he was capable of would be his last.

He had no wish to hurry it, not unless he knew if there were really no other options available.

Argus smiled wryly. He remembered Sester saying something about options. It seemed like a long time ago.

_Let's see if I can create my own options._

His body was beginning to remind him that what he needed most was rest. And lots of drugs.

_I keep reminding Avon to not forget his. I should really add a reminder for myself._

He continued waiting.

_This is getting very anticlimactic if they don't do something soon. _

Argus was in a strange mood. Impending death always gave him an odd sense of peace but now he also had other emotions. 

He had been trying to avoid thinking of Reya, but he couldn't help himself. He knew that she should have regained consciousness already. He didn't want to think how she must be feeling right now.

_I wish we could be together. I wish it didn't have to end like this.

* * *

_

When Vila made it back to their hiding place, Allren seemed very excited.

"What's wrong?" asked Vila immediately. His danger sense was always active.

"Argus made contact earlier. He said he's sending Avon, Reya and Sester down in life capsules. He gave us coordinates."

"Avon? Where? When?" asked Vila.

"It sounded like right away. That was almost twenty minutes ago. They should be landing any minute now." Allren asked, "Where are the others?"

"They're taking a closer look at the battle," said Vila.

"And you didn't think it was a good idea?"

"Would you?"

Allren smiled. "I wouldn't have either. That just leaves the two of us then."

"You can barely stand," pointed out Vila. "And I'm not carrying you."

"Alright, then that just leaves you."

"I'm injured. I won't be able to help much. Maybe we should wait for the others," said Vila instinctively. Even as he said it, Vila was already feeling uncomfortable.

_I can't just leave Avon. He can't take care of himself yet. The commander can probably take care of him. But what if they run into trouble? What if someone sees their capsules come down and __is waiting for them? But what can I do?_

Vila felt like there was a battle being waged inside himself.

_Avon needs me. He'll probably never admit it but he does. _

Vila smiled. _He's going to hate it._

"Tell the Jenna and Cally where I went," said Vila as he headed towards the door.

* * *

"Information. Communication being received," reported Zen.

"Put it on the main viewscreen Zen," said Argus.

"Confirmed."

The vidscreen changed from a starfield view to that of a beautiful, elegant woman in a white outfit. She had a smile on her face.

"Where is Avon?"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

The woman on the screen was a vision in white. Her smile lit up the screen but there was nothing friendly about her smile.

"Do you _really_ think I'm going to tell you where Avon is, Servalan?" asked Argus.

"Drel Argus. How did you know who I am?" asked the woman on the screen.

"Avon said that you were a beautiful poisonous snake. You seem to fit the bill," said Argus.

She smiled and said, "You seem to have broken your ship."

"Are you going to be a good space traveler and offer to help me fix it," said Argus with heavy sarcasm.

"I imagine you have the ship set to autodestruct the moment I show any interest in it."

"Correct." There was a calm resolve in his voice.

"You sound very serious about it."

"Would you like to bring your ship closer and test that seriousness, Servalan?" Argus's voice remained deadly calm.

"I don't doubt that you will do it, Commander," said Servalan.

"I'm not a Commander anymore."

"My mistake. I had forgotten. You deserted." Servalan seemed determined to get a rise out of him; to break his calm.

"I did not desert," said Argus coldly. "I quit my commission."

"Yes. I remember now. You were a coward. You ran before you could be court-martialled for killing the civilians on Zircaster."

That hit too close to the truth for Argus; even if what she said was not exactly true. His stomach twisted in guilt. His jaw tightened.

"Stop wasting your time, Servalan. I'm in no mood for your games."

"Given the condition of your ship, there is not much else you can do."

"I do not believe you came all the way out here, away from your base of power, just to play games."

"Oh but I did Commander."

The way she said this instantly made Argus suspicious. He knew that there was one person she had an obsession in playing with.

"Leave Avon alone, Servalan. Haven't you done enough to him already?"

"I only want to talk to him."

"Somehow I don't quite believe you."

"It is irrelevant what you believe because Avon is not _on_ the ship, is he?"

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to. That must mean he is on the planet." Servalan smiled again. It was the smile of a huntress anticipating the chase. "And what shall we do with you, Commander? And your ship?"

"I told you _not_ to call me Commander. I no longer serve the Federation. And if you make a move to take this ship, I will destroy it."

"We all serve the Federation, Commander. One way or another. You should know that."

"I'm tired of this. State your intentions."

"Such impatience, _Commander_." Servalan smiled; a smile calculated to annoy even more.

"Avon didn't mention that you lacked subtlety."

She laughed. "Very well. I have no intentions towards your ship. Avon is a much more valuable prize. With him, I don't need the ship."

"I thought you said that you only wanted to _talk_ to Avon?" he said with a strong tone of cynicism.

_I cannot let Servalan take Avon._

"It will be different this time," said Servalan.

"Avon also did not mention that you were delusional."

"Now who is lacking subtlety?"

"As you insist on pointing out, I am _ex-Federation_ military. I am not concerned with subtleties."

"No you wouldn't be."

Argus realized something. "You never said what your intentions are towards me."

"Oh, didn't I? I'm so sorry." Somehow when Servalan said these words it had the opposite effect. "I have no intentions towards you but I am afraid that my people do. Central Security seems to think that you know the names of the top level Federation military officials who have helped the rebel alliance. I don't know where they got that idea."

Argus's jaw tightened. "Are you trying to offer me the same choice that you gave to Avon?"

Servalan smiled.

"No. I'm not. I just wanted to point out how easy it would be, given your character."

* * *

Avon hit the switch causing the life capsule hatch to spring open. Smells of woods and the myriad of odours, which could only come from a natural environment, filled the open capsule. Avon had never noticed how many different smells there could be. It was almost nauseating.

Now that he had a little time to examine his environment in a calm atmosphere, he noticed a vague awareness of the panic he once felt. His mind had been too preoccupied lately to pay any attention to his surroundings.

Mixed with the smells there were also many sounds; some natural and some definitely not.

Avon listened carefully.

Woodland sounds of wind rustling through trees. Indistinct animal noises indicating life of various forms. He was not interested in these.

It was the unnatural sounds of humanity which piqued his interest and instantly put him on the alert.

_It isn't safe here. Someone must have spotted the capsules coming down. Must find the others._

He climbed out of the life module and nearly fell as his compromised knee nearly gave out. Avon grimaced in pain and stifled a groan. He clung onto the side of the capsule as he righted himself.

Avon looked up into the clear sky. There was no sign of the _Justice_. From orbital distance, the explosion would have been visible along with any debris trails.

_It__'s possible that the ship is still up there. In which case, Argus failed to destroy it and the Federation has the ship. Or something else is happening._

Avon dismissed the first possibility. Although he had not known Argus long, he knew that Argus would never have allowed the Federation to take the ship.

_This leaves the other possibility. Something has happened. I must find a way to contact the ship. But first I must find the other life capsules._

He looked around. There was no sign of the other two capsules. He remembered that his capsule seemed to veer slightly off the trajectory of the others as they were landing. Using what he remembered of the angle of the trajectory and the speed of the capsules, he began working out the possible direction and search radius.

Avon reached in and took out ORAC.

_Too bad ORAC isn't functioning. A little matter reduction could be very useful right now._

ORAC had been place in a soft case with a strap to be worn across the shoulder. Avon adjusted ORAC into a comfortable position across his back before removing the equipment satchel from the capsule. He slowly put weight on his weak knee and grimaced in pain.

_This is going to be slow._

He set out to look for the other two capsules.

* * *

When her life capsule hit the ground with a soft thud, Reya wasn't sure she wanted to get out. She wasn't sure she wanted to open the hatch. Opening it would mean letting in reality.

It was a reality she didn't know if she could live with. Safe in the confines of the capsule, she could fool herself that Argus was still on the ship instead of being scattered into a million atoms across the darkness of space.

_I cannot believe you are g__one. Not yet. You still seem alive to me. _

Reya touched her hands to her face; the tears had dried on her cheeks. Physically she felt numb.

There was a surreal quality to everything; the numbness made it all seem unreal.

She remembered her promise. It had been Argus's final wish to see the others safe. It was why he had stayed onboard. He had wanted to give them all a chance.

_I will not let you die in vain. _It was the only thing left she could do for him. She could not let him down.

Reya reached out and flipped the lever to open the hatch. It swished open.

There were too many people outside her capsule. They seemed startled by the opening of the hatch and immediately pointed laser rifles in her direction.

_Maybe it would have been better to leave it closed_, she thought wryly.

One of them indicated for her to get out. "Slowly."

The people surrounding her capsule were a mixed group; mainly civilians, plus two wearing Federation uniforms of lower rank.

None of them helped her as she got out. They all kept their weapons trained on her.

Some of them were opening another capsule. It was Sester.

"I think this one's dead," said the one who opened the capsule.

"No he's not, I think he's still breathing," said another who was examining the man in the capsule.

"It can't be very much. He seems pretty dead."

"We were ordered to find whoever came down in the capsules and bring them in for questioning. I don't think you can question a dead man."

"I guess we should get a med team here then."

The man examining Sester used a hand communicator and requested a medical assistance team.

Reya carefully kept her raised hands in full view of her captors even as she studied her surroundings. Her mind had automatically gone into tactical mode; trying to assess the situation, the odds of escape and possible avenues of escape. It was an instinctive ability and only took a few seconds.

_At least they__'re going to take care of Sester. _

Reya had been worried about him. She knew that he was going to die unless he got help soon. He was lucky that he had survived the journey down.

_It may be best right now to let them help him. But where is Avon?_

Reya could not see a third capsule.

One of the men wearing a Federation uniform said to several others nearby, "You three, keep searching. There should be another one of these capsules nearby."

Reya instantly reacted. She grabbed one of the laser rifles from a guard who was standing too close to her, and began using it as a club. She targeted the three men nearby who were supposed to look for Avon's capsule.

It was so quick and unexpected that all three would-be searchers were unconscious and on the ground before the others could react. Without stopping she headed towards Sester's capsule, weaving as she went as the others began shooting at her.

She shouted loudly, "Stay away from him. Stay away!"

The man in Federation uniform, who had been giving the orders before ordered loudly, "Don't kill her! We need her for questioning."

By using the rifle as a club, a non-lethal weapon, Reya had judged these captors would be more inclined to not kill her.

She reached the Sester's capsule and began attacking ones who were there. The others reached her and it took half a dozen of them to finally disable her.

They held her down with her arms twisted behind her while another one secured her wrists with a set of restraints. Only then did she stop struggling. They dragged her to her feet and kept a careful watch over her this time.

It took awhile before things were settled enough before a search party was sent out to look for the other capsule again.

Reya hoped that Avon had been within earshot and heard her warning to stay away. She hoped that she had bought him enough time to hide or to get away.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Avon was conducting a logical search pattern to look for the other two capsules. Given the angle of trajectory when his capsule veered off, he judged that they could not be that far away.

_Of course, given the absurdities of life, it will probably be in the last place I look._

He hoped that for the sake of his knee, they were a lot closer. The pain level had increased the last little while. It was harder to fight when he was tired. Unfortunately he was close to exhaustion. There had not been time enough for a break between fighting the invaders and the arrival of the Federation strike force. Not to mention, he had not recovered from the testing the invaders had done on him.

Avon had been avoiding using the drugs. There were already drugs he could not live without; he didn't want to add to the list.

There was still no indication that the _Justice_ had been destroyed. He doubted that this was a good sign.

_What are you doing Argus?_

There were sounds of commotion up ahead. Shouts and then laser rifle sounds, several in quick succession. Laser rifles always sounded as if they were ripping the air. In the relative quiet of the wooded area, it was ominous and deadly.

"Stay away from him. STAY AWAY!" A female voice was shouting. There was a sense of urgency.

Avon recognized this voice. It was Reya Reve. His first instinct was to run in the direction of her voice, but her tone stopped him.

_The "him" must be Sester. They must both be in trouble. And she must be hoping that I'm nearby. She is trying to warn me to keep away. Judging by the sounds, they must be just up ahead. _

The sounds stopped. Avon continued listening. There were no additional sounds.

_They must have done something to her. There must be considerable danger. Or she would not have risked herself like this._

Avon looked around for a place to conceal himself until he decided what to do next.

_I promised Argus I would take care of you. I have to find out what is happening. There are two immediate dangers. One is that I might stumble on whatever is happening by accident and get caught as well. With the warning, that's not going to happen now. The__ other is that whoever has them was searching for the life capsules. This means they must also be searching for mine._

"Avon, over here!" A hushed voice called out from behind him. Avon wondered how many familiar voices he was destined to hear today as he whirled around to face the speaker...who was nowhere to be seen.

"Here." The voice whispered again. This time Avon could see Vila hiding in a thick underbrush. His head was sticking out.

"What are you doing here?" asked Avon. This was too much of a coincidence.

"Looking for you," replied Vila as he stood up. "You've got ORAC!" Vila exclaimed as he saw what Avon was carrying.

"You have not lost your talent for stating the obvious," said Avon dryly. "What happened to your arm?" he asked in return as he noticed the sling.

"Oh this. It was nothing. Just a scratch. Had a disagreement with an unfriendly projectile weapon." said Vila.

"Still playing the fool?" asked Avon. He had been about to say "you're still a fool" but Vila had been kind to him, helping him work through some of the problems caused by being a prisoner at the Federation Special Detention Centre. Vila did not deserve to be called a fool.

Vila grinned and said, "What else is there?" _We might survive this after all. Now that Avon's here._

Despite the incident at Malodar, for some reason, Vila still felt safer with Avon than he did with most people.

"Well, those make two things you're good at then," said Avon sarcastically.

Avon held up a hand for silence. They both listened carefully. People were approaching.

"Move over," whispered Avon as he joined Vila in his hiding place. Vila moved the brush to cover them. They listened and waited. It didn't take long.

Three men carrying weapons came into view. One in a black Federation uniform and two others. It was clear they were searching for something. A man in a brown jacket walked up very close to where Avon and Vila were hidden. They didn't dare move, or even breathe. The man was so close that they could reach out and touch him.

After a few moments of fruitless searching the man in the black uniform said, "Let's keep searching."

All three men moved off.

Once they were out of sight Vila said, "I thought we had it there."

Avon stood up and readjusted ORAC across his back.

"Where are you going?" asked Vila nervously. He was still in the underbrush and had not moved.

"I'm going to look for the other two capsules," said Avon.

"Do you really think that's a good idea? What if they come back? What if there are more people looking for us?"

"I don't think so. They've already searched this area. Any additional groups would be searching other areas."

"I don't know. Still sounds risky to me."

"Everything sounds risky to you. Besides I made a promise."

"Avon! Not again," Vila groaned. "Your promises are going to get us killed one of these days."

"I take it you're going to help then."

"I didn't say that," said Vila guardedly.

Avon shoved the equipment satchel at Vila. "Good then you can carry this."

Grumbling Vila took the satchel. "Who did you make this wonderful promise to?"

Vila didn't think that Avon would make this kind of promise to anyone except Blake.

"Argus." Avon led the way.

"Argus?" said Vila in a shocked voice as he trailed after him.

"Yes."

"But I thought you didn't like him," said Vila.

"I don't," said Avon.

"Then why are we doing this?"

"He stayed on the ship."

"I don't get it. What's so special about staying on the ship? Anyone could do that. I could do that."

Avon stopped and turned towards Vila.

"No you couldn't. Argus stayed onboard to set off the autodestruct manually."

Vila's jaw dropped. There was a shocked expression on his face.

"Why?!" asked Vila. He could not understand why anyone would willingly choose to do that. Unless he were crazy. Or suicidal. Whatever he thought of Argus, the man did not strike him as crazy. Suicidal he wasn't sure about. Vila remembered Argus standing between him and danger several times. The man still confused him. He still wasn't sure what he thought of him.

Avon continued walking again as he explained.

"We were surrounded by Federation ships."

"What!?" asked Vila; even more shocked. "How did they get here? Were they the ones who chased off the invaders?"

"No. They came after the invaders left."

"I don't get it. What happened to the invaders? Why did they leave? And what's the Federation doing here?"

Avon stumbled and groaned in pain.

"Avon! Are you alright?" Vila asked in alarm.

Avon reached out a hand towards a tree and was leaning heavily against it. His right leg was slightly raised to avoid putting any stress on it. He bowed his head; struggling with the pain and exhaustion. It was starting to catch up with him.

"The satchel. There's a bio-injector in it. Give it to me," said Avon. His voice was strained.

Vila quickly opened it up and handed the injector to Avon. Avon turned to lean his back against the tree. His face looked as strained as his voice. He was sweating. Avon made an adjustment to the injector and applied it to his neck. There was a hissing sound. He made another adjustment and repeated the procedure. Avon closed his eyes and rested as the drugs began to work.

"Your knee isn't any better is it? Why don't you let Cally take a look at it?" asked Vila. He knew that Avon had been refusing to let Cally examine it.

"It's none of your concern."

"I'm not carrying you," said Vila.

"I don't expect you to."

Avon opened his eyes and tested his weight on the weak knee. He grimaced but was able to stand on it.

"Let's keep going," said Avon as he led the way again.

"Are you sure you don't want me to carry you? Maybe you should get some rest. Maybe…" said Vila. He was still very concerned.

"Shut up Vila."

"Well, if you collapse, don't say I didn't warn you. And I am not carrying you," said Vila.

* * *

Cally, Jenna and Ture were still watching the pitched battle, from a closer distance this time. 

"There seem to be two factions involved," said Cally.

"One of them includes Federation Security troops," remarked Jenna.

"Federation Security with civilians helping?" said Ture. "Doesn't seem likely."

"The other faction must be some kind of resistance group," said Jenna. Cally and Ture nodded in agreement.

"They must be taking advantage of the chaos in order to gain control," said Cally.

"We have to help them," said Jenna.

_Something is missing_, thought Cally. She realized she missed Avon and Vila. She missed someone raising objections even though she agreed with Jenna.

"Yes. We should help them," said Cally.

Ture nodded in agreement.

They were about to discuss how they were going to do this helping when Federation troop transports began descending from the sky.

* * *

As Argus was talking to Servalan, he was tempted to make the connections that would explode the ship. Talking to this woman tested his patience and self control. It was almost as bad as being pawed by the biotech when he was on the invader's ship.

She was toying with him. There was no question of that. Argus was sure she was after something.

_From what Avon says, you probably have everything carefully planned. I'll have to be careful._

As long as they were still talking, there was a chance. Argus had no desire to explode the ship unless he had to. As long as she made no attempts to gain the ship, he would continue to talk; continue to play her game.

He was trying to buy time.

As Servalan was talking, Argus said, "Excuse me." He muted the comm connection before Servalan could react.

"Zen, estimated time for autorepair to restore main ship's systems, including the teleport?"

"Ninety-two hours, six minutes and fourteen seconds. Secondary assessment of damage currently in progress."

_Just under four days. Can I stall for four days?_

"Keep me informed of repair efforts. Route the information to my terminal."

"Confirmed."

"Continue having the battle computers monitor all Federation vessels within scanner range. I want to know immediately if there is any action towards this ship."

"Confirmed."

Argus turned the comm back on.

Madame President did not look pleased.

"Please continue," said Argus.

"I do not appreciate rudeness," said Servalan angrily. "You will not cut this connection again while I am talking."

Argus was starting to get a headache along with all of the other pain he was experiencing. He had been exhausted even before the escape. His body had never been given time to recover from his experience on the alien ship. Argus wondered if he could risk a quick trip down to the medical bay.

"You're not my only priority, Servalan."

"I suggest that you review your priorities then, _Commander_."

Argus refrained from smiling. Servalan had stopped using his former rank except when she was very annoyed or trying to make a point.

_Can't let you have all the fun. Two can play this game. If you think you're going to wear me out and force me to make a mistake, you'll be very disappointed Madame President._

Argus's Federation commando training included learning to function under conditions of complete exhaustion.

_I must remember to thank the Federation for that_, thought Argus ironically.

"I'll take it under advisement," said Argus with undisguised sarcasm.

Servalan's eyes narrowed. "I would advise that you not make the mistake of taking my directives lightly."

"Oh, I don't. I assure you. But don't take me for a fool, Servalan. This game you are playing is not just yours anymore."

Servalan smiled. Argus found it disconcerting that a smile which could light up the screen could also be so cold.

_Good. I prefer playing with someone who shows some intelligence, _thought Servalan. _Not as good as playing with Avon, of course._

Her men were already on the planet, coordinating with Federation Security Forces there. The hunt for Avon had begun.

* * *

Avon and Vila finally reached the small clearing where the other two life capsules had landed. They watched from a discreet distance. 

"I don't see them," whispered Vila. "Do you think…"

"I don't think they're dead. At least not one of them," said Avon with certainty. "The capsules appear intact. If they survived, they must have been transported somewhere else."

Avon wondered if Sester had survived the journey down.

"There's nothing else we can do. We should go back to the hideout," said Vila.

"Not yet. This position is secure enough. We're going to wait and find out as much as we can about this group."

"I knew you were going to think of something else," grumbled Vila.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

After long hours of fruitless searching, the men looking for the life capsules were clearing out. It was starting to get dark. Stumbling around in the dark when there were so many trees and other assorted natural obstacles did not seem wise even with their bright hand torches.

After the searchers left, Vila stood up from their concealed position in the thick underbrush. He stretched and yawned and said, "Well, that was a whole lot of nothing."

He never knew that trying to remain motionless for hours could be so tiring; even though he had fallen asleep a couple of times and had to be woken by Avon.

"Not exactly," said Avon as he slowly got up. Remaining motionless had caused additional problems for him. His knee was very stiff and painful.

"They didn't say where the commander or Sester were being held," said Vila. "Unless you heard something I didn't."

"Well, that wouldn't be difficult considering you were asleep half the time. But no, they didn't say anything about where they were being held."

_I didn't miss anything by sleeping then_, thought Vila, though he doubted Avon would appreciate that.

Vila waited expectantly. When it seemed that Avon wasn't going to say anything further he asked, "Well, are you going to tell me? Or do I have to guess?"

Avon explained, "This group is clearly working with Federation Security forces on this planet."

He pulled ORAC out from their hiding place. The soft shoulder case containing ORAC was starting to take on the colours of the forest.

Vila said, "But that doesn't make sense. There were civilians."

"That's true. So that also implies something else. The Security forces on this planet are not as they appear to be."

"I don't get it. If they're not Federation Security..." said Vila.

"They are. And they aren't," said Avon cryptically as he brushed off some of the debris from the case.

"Do you want to explain that? Because I'm getting a headache. And you're starting to sound like ORAC."

Avon gave Vila a wry smile. "Some of them are with Federation Security but they are also something else. It is that something else which makes this intriguing. They were looking for the life capsules but I don't think it was for the Federation."

"We still don't know where Sester and the commander are," pointed out Vila.

"No. But we know where to find some of this group now. The Federation Security building."

"I wish you hadn't said that," said Vila as Avon handed him the case.

* * *

"What do we have?" asked Senior Controller Dayto as he entered the infirmary flanked by several black-uniformed Federation Security soldiers. He walked briskly towards a bio-bed surrounded by medical equipment and a team of med-techs working on a patient. 

"The search teams found all three of the capsules that came down. But one of the occupants escaped before we could get to it," reported the lieutenant as he tried to catch up. "One of them was critically injured when we opened the capsule so we brought him here."

Dayto looked down at the man on the bio-bed.

"It's an old friend," he said with a not very friendly smile. He asked the med-techs working on Sester, "When can I talk to him?"

The senior med-tech said, "It won't be for awhile. He was in very bad shape when he was brought in. I'm surprised he survived the ride down in the life capsule."

"Tell me the moment that he's able to talk," directed the controller.

"Yes, sir. But you also need to know that he's suffering from a severe concussion. At the moment we can only assess basic neurological damage. We won't be able to make a more accurate assessment until he wakes up."

Dayto was not pleased at this news. "I want him functional doctor."

* * *

Cally, Jenna and Ture were still discussing the arrival of the Federation troops when they came back to the residence they were using as a hideout.

"I'm glad you're back," said Allren in the way of greeting the moment they entered the room.

Cally immediately asked, "What's wrong?"

She hadn't sensed anything but she didn't need to. Allren looked worried.

"Where's Vila?" she asked as she realized the thief was missing.

"Didn't he come back?" asked Jenna.

"Yes, he did. But he went out looking for the others," replied Allren.

There were looks of general confusion.

"What others?" Ture asked his friend.

"Argus was trying to contact you, Jenna. On the comm unit. He said that he was sending down some people in life capsules and wanted you to meet them."

Instead of confusion now, there were looks of shock on Jenna and Cally's face.

"Something must have gone wrong," said Cally.

"Did Argus say where they were landing?" asked Jenna.

"Yes, he sent coordinates."

"How long ago did he make contact?" asked Jenna.

"Just over four hours. When Vila came back, he decided to go looking for them."

"By himself? That doesn't sound like Vila," said Jenna.

"I think he was worried," said Allren.

"Now that sounds more like Vila," said Jenna.

"Vila must have been afraid that someone else might intercept them," said Cally.

In four hours anything could have happened. It was more than enough time for something to go wrong. They were all worried.

"If they didn't run into any problems, Vila should have brought them back by now," said Cally. "We should go look for them."

"Right," said Jenna. "Give me the coordinates," she told Allren.

Armed with coordinates and a great deal of trepidation, Jenna, Cally and Ture set out to look for the life capsules and Vila.

* * *

"Tell me who you are?" demanded the interrogator. He was playing with a pain rod as he questioned Reya. Her hands had been bound behind her to a chair. "Do you work for Central Security? Who are you in contact with?"

Reya saw the look of anticipation on the interrogator's face. This was a man who enjoyed his work.

She did not answer his questions; she was not going to make it easy for him. As a security officer in her brother's forces, Reya was very familiar with interrogation techniques; had employed them many times herself.

Part of her was observing the proceedings with a professional detachment. She had not made an assessment on how good this interrogator was. He hadn't done anything to lift him from the ordinary yet. It was too early.

_This will be a uselessly painful exercise if these people are not taking care of Sester. I need to find that out soon._

Reya knew she had taken a risk in allowing these people to take both her and Sester. She had a choice. The dying man didn't.

Reya trusted that these people's interests would lead them to save his life. On her own, she would never have been able to find him the required help in time. If they had not been separated from Avon, one of them could have gone to find him help. In a way, they had been fortunate to have been captured.

_Argus, I hope this works. _For some reason, she still talked to Argus as if he were still alive. She could not shake the feeling that he still was.

_I hope you're alive, dearest. It's odd. I've never called you that before but it seems right._

She wondered if they both came out of this alive, whether they would stop fighting all the time.

Reya almost smiled. _I doubt it. It's one of the things we seem to be good at_, she thought wryly.

The interrogator did not like his prisoner's lack of response. He did not like that she appeared to be watching him as a superior grading an underling. But the sudden softening in her eyes completely confused him. He did not like the feeling that he was not control of his own interrogation; did not like that his prisoner only appeared to be half paying attention to him.

Without warning, he struck her across the face with the rod.

Reya was shocked out of her reverie. _Not bad. A strike for shock value_.

She turned her head to face him. There was no expression on her face. No indication of pain, anger or fear. It was this last which bothered this man the most. In his position, he was used seeing fear in the faces of his victims. He expected it. He enjoyed it. It gave him a feeling of power and superiority. The interrogator was not feeling very superior at the moment.

He had not expected a reaction of nothing. This angered him. _Who do you think you are?_

He struck her again. This time blood trickled down from a cut which had opened up on her lip.

Again she turned to face him without any indication of a reaction. Another person entered the room. Whoever it was stayed out of her field of vision.

_Another interrogator? Or someone with an interest in the interrogation?_

The interrogator used the end of the rod and struck her in the stomach.

Ooof. Reya doubled over in pain. She had raised herself halfway when the interrogator struck again three times in quick succession. For a few moments she couldn't breathe.

_Trying to keep me off balance. Or a little softening up, _wondered Reya as she regained her breath. She was breathing in short, shallow gasps. _If that is his goal then he'd better think of something else._

She lifted herself to face the interrogator again. The last thing the interrogator was expecting was the continued lack of expression on her face; he was starting to get angry. He had been expecting some reaction; if not fear, at least anger or some kind of strain from the punishment being inflicted. But there was nothing. She just stared at him, as if she was studying him clinically.

He struck her across the face again with the rod. A cut opened up across her left cheek. Blood seeped down. The nature of his blows was starting to reflect his anger.

Reya thought,_ I thought Argus said Federation interrogators were better than this. This man is much too emotional. Too easily controlled by someone who knows what they're doing._

"You know, that's not really a club. It was designed to be used more effectively than the way you're using it now," said Reya in a dispassionate voice; as if she were assessing his efforts and finding it lacking.

The interrogator stared at her in surprise. Insolence he expected, this kind of cold, analytical reaction was something entirely outside of his experience as an interrogator. He angrily set the pain rod to maximum.

Before he reached forward to apply it to her body she said, "I _was_ hoping for something with a little more _thought_. But I guess that's too much to hope for."

She didn't even bother looking at him. Even bound in the chair, her body language was very clear.

The man hesitated, this woman flustered him. He was not used to being confused by his victims.

"Leave us," a strong male voice directed. This order came from the other man who had entered the room; the one Reya still could not see.

"Yes, sir," said the interrogator immediately. He headed for the exit. There he paused and looked back at the woman secured to the chair. There was anger in his eyes.

Reya suppressed a smile. She didn't need the man to say anything, to know what he was thinking. He couldn't wait until the next time. She could imagine he was promising himself that next time it would be different.

_He doesn't understand does he, Argus? He doesn't understand that the next time will be exactly the same._

There was silence after the interrogator left. Reya waited for the man in the room to say something else.

"You're not another psychostrategist, are you? You don't seem like one. More like a bodyguard. "

Senior Controller Dayto came around to face her.

Reya looked at him curiously. This one was not an interrogator like the other one. The man carried himself as one used to having his orders obeyed. He looked down at her for a moment, studying her face. She looked at him with the same lack of emotion she had used with the interrogator.

Dayto reached down and wiped the blood from her chin with his hand; then traced her chin lightly.

"Or are you something much more interesting and useful?" he asked.

Dayto had reviewed the report from the team which had carried out the search for the life capsules. He had found this woman's actions very interesting.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

"This presents a problem," said Cally as they watched a Federation checkpoint.

Cally, Jenna and Ture had tried several exit points from the city already and they all seemed to be controlled by Federation Assault troops. Since all three had prices on their heads or were persons of interest to Federation Security, none of them could risk running the checkpoints. And especially not since the troops seemed to be doing identi-scans on everyone. It appeared that anyone not registered in the Federation database were being detained.

"They must be making sure none of the invaders are left here," said Jenna. "Unfortunately that's not good for us."

"If anyone was looking for the capsules, they would have found them by now. There's been more than enough time," said Ture.

"Yes. It was a long shot that we would find them," said Jenna.

"But we had to try," said Cally.

Cally was afraid. She knew what would happen to Avon if the Federation found him again.

"Maybe Vila found them and brought them back to the residence already," said Jenna.

"Hopefully," said Cally. "Assuming they didn't run into the checkpoints."

"Well if they did, then they might be trying to find a way to get back in," said Jenna.

* * *

"I'm _sure_ there weren't _this_ many Federation Security troops on the streets when I _left_ the city," said Vila.

"There weren't," said Avon.

"How would you know?" asked Vila.

"These aren't Security troops. They're assault troops," said Avon.

"They all look the same to me."

"They're not. Security troops ask questions after they shoot you. These ones just shoot and don't bother about the questions."

Avon and Vila were watching the Federation Assault troops from a very discreet distance. The troops had set up an access point at the outer perimeter of the city. Anyone entering or exiting had to undergo security identification scans and registration. Some people were being detained.

"I wonder what they're looking for?" mused Vila.

"Or who."

"You don't suppose they're looking for us, do you?" asked Vila nervously.

"That's a possibility. They could be looking for the occupant of the third life capsule."

"But that's you."

"Yes. That's assuming these assault troops are affiliated with the group in the woods. Regardless, it won't do either one of us any good being identified by Federation interests."

"I like your way of thinking," said Vila.

"That makes it _all_ worthwhile," said Avon sarcastically. "We need to find a way into the city and connect with the others. We're exposed out here."

"How do we do that?" Vila looked at him expectantly.

Avon had a feeling of uneasiness when Vila looked at him like that.

_When did you start trusting me like this again?_ _Don't you remember Malodar?_

Avon remembered. He had almost killed Vila there.

_No. Not killed. Almost murdered. _The thought triggered a sickening feeling in his stomach. His mind pushed down feelings of panic and dread. It was a good thing Servalan had not known about this; else she would have used it against him too.

Avon remembered telling Jenna once that the only thing that he knew of guilt was what he had read about. He was being facetious then. No one on the Liberator knew of the feelings of guilt which ate at him. They did not know of the dreams of Anna which haunted his nights, not until he went looking for Shrinker. Losing Anna had been so devastating that he didn't want to care about anyone else; he did not have room to care for anyone else; at least not until he met Blake and the others. Then thrown together for mutual survival, he had learned to care for them too.

Not that he had ever been an outwardly emotional man. His caring was expressed in his actions; not in the trappings of sentiment human beings put such a high value on. Sentimentality destroyed objectivity and warped reason. For him that was death. It was his intellect and his genius which kept him alive. Without them, he was as helpless as everyone else was.

While his crewmates accused him of being an unfeeling machine, he risked his life to save them. It never seemed to make a difference; they still questioned whether he had a heart even after he saved them. It didn't matter to him. His caring was independent of how others felt about him. He cared and he acted. If others only accepted a caring which came with trappings they could recognize, it mattered little to him. The only one who came close to understanding that about him had been Cally.

Avon had never followed the normal conventions of morality. He had always found that morality in a Federation society was highly variable and utilitarian depending on where in the power hierarchy of society you were. He had his own morality. That morality had never involved cold-blooded killing.

Before he met Blake, he had only killed once in his life; and that only out of self-defense. The man with the exit visas had nearly killed him first. The longer he was with Blake, the more he was called on to kill; at times killing seemed the only logical option for survival. But he had never thought he could kill a friend.

_The killer of friends._

Avon's stomach twisted. He grimaced in pain and nearly doubled over. His train of thought was bringing him too closely to thoughts of Blake. He wasn't ready to deal with that yet. Because of what Servalan had done to him, he wasn't sure he would ever be able to deal with it.

"Avon! Are you alright?" said a concerned Vila. He put his arm around Avon to steady him.

"What happened on the shuttle, Vila?" Avon asked. Vila was shocked at the anguish and pain in Avon's voice.

"What shuttle? You came down in a life capsule. Don't you remember?"

Avon gripped Vila's shoulder. "No. On the shuttle. I don't understand. Why did I try to kill you?" Avon's mind was filled with confusion about the events of that day.

He had replayed the shuttle incident over and over in his mind in the days afterwards. Avon had tried to understand his own actions but he couldn't.

_Did the burdens of leadership and the danger wear me down? Was I only acting out of pure survival instinct by then?_

Vila reacted in shock. He forcibly broke Avon's grip and pushed him away. Avon fell backwards. He stifled a groan as his weakened knee twisted and he collapsed to the ground against a tree.

Vila's mind was filled with anger and confusion. It had been along time since he had thought about the shuttle. At times he had almost convinced himself it had been a bad dream. Sometimes, when he was drunk, he almost could. Familiar feelings of hatred and betrayal surfaced.

"You were a bastard!" he half shouted at Avon. "That's why! A selfish bastard!" Vila's voice choked.

There was such bitterness in his voice that Avon grimaced again.

"I'm sorry, Vila."

Avon's voice was so quiet that for a moment, Vila thought he had imagined it.

"Kill me, if you want to. I won't say anything," Avon looked up at him. There was no emotion on his face but there was a hard set in his eyes.

"Who do you think I am? I'm not you. I don't kill my friends," Vila spat out angrily.

Each word was like a dagger of guilt aimed at him. Avon's stomach twisted again. His jaw tightened at the pain but he showed no emotion.

"Then take ORAC and leave me here." There was a dead flatness in Avon's voice. He leaned back against the tree. His face was pale; exhaustion threatened to overwhelm him.

Vila took a step backwards.

"You want them to find you?"

"Yes." Avon's voice was quiet.

Vila suddenly realized what Avon was saying. "You want Servalan to find you."

At this Avon didn't answer. He stared straight ahead, not looking at Vila.

For along time after Malodar, Vila had wanted Avon to pay for what he had nearly done to him. He had wanted to hear an apology and he had wanted to see this man hurt.

Vila shook his head. He remembered seeing the marks of torture on Avon's body; could still remember the screams of pain as Avon tried to free himself from the conditioning. And he would never forget the looks of despair and hopelessness in Avon's eyes as he begged Vila to kill him on the ship.

In his greatest anger, Vila would never have wished what Servalan had done to Avon.

_Maybe you've already paid enough_, thought Vila. The anger was gone. It was replaced with pity as he regarded the broken man before him. He came over and knelt down next to Avon.

He put his hand on his shoulder and said quietly, "I forgive you."

"What?" Avon lifted his head to look at him with blank confusion.

"Just don't do it again."

At Avon's continued look of bafflement, Vila explained, "I figure you've saved me two or three times. So we can call it even."

Avon's continued silence made Vila feel uneasy.

"Can you say something sarcastic? Uncomfortable silences make me nervous."

"Your application of math leaves a lot to be desired," said Avon. It was a weak attempt but it was all he could manage at the moment. "But your application of sentiment is impeccable."

Vila wasn't sure but he thought he spotted a compliment in there somewhere. He gave Avon a slight grin. "That's more like it. I think."

He helped Avon to stand and said, "Let's get back to the ship and it can be like old times again. We can dump Argus somewhere and you can take back your ship. We can think up lots of ways to get rich. It'll be like Freedom City. The girls can stay if they want."

"No, Vila," said Avon.

"Why not?" asked Vila. It sounded like a brilliant idea to him.

"I can't lead."

"What do you mean? Sure you can. You've done it lots of times," said Vila.

"That's not what I meant. I don't trust myself to lead. And neither should you. Not until I'm sure I won't do the same things again."

"Oh," said Vila thoughtfully. "That's probably a good idea."

Avon was in no hurry to explore the idea of regaining control of the _Justice_; not until he was sure of himself.

In the meantime Argus was useful.

_You can continue to lead the others. __Assuming you survive. And I will follow if I chose. But I will be watching you._

Even though they had worked well together against the invaders, Avon was still undecided about him. Despite what Argus had done, Avon still did not understand what motivated the man.

Blake had been easy to understand. He never hid what he was. In that they were both very much alike. And even though Avon had thought him a fool, he had respected that honesty.

Avon's stomach twisted again. _I have no right to call him a fool. Not anymore._

"Avon?" Vila asked with concern when Avon's face grimaced in pain "Are you alright?"

_Not __yet. _

Avon wondered if he would ever be again. He pulled himself together. In order to function, he could not afford to think about Blake.

"Thank you, Vila," said Avon. "It was. Unexpected."

"I'm surprised myself," said Vila.

"Not to mention embarrassed?" asked Avon with a tone of light sarcasm.

"Don't mention it," replied Vila lightly. "I mean, really don't mention it. Wouldn't want my reputation ruined or anything."

"Don't worry. I will still insult you as usual. I wouldn't want to ruin _my_ reputation either," Avon reassured him in the same light tone.

_We can never go back to the time when you trusted me,_ thought Avon. _Too much time has passed. Too many things have been destroyed. I am no longer the same man you once knew. But perhaps I can find in myself, someone you can trust again._

_Someone I can trust again.

* * *

_

Consciousness was returning like a slow moving stream flowing into the mind; which was fortunate considering Sester had a blinding headache. He tried to think but thinking hurt.

"He's awake, sir."

_Unfamiliar voice. I'm being watched. At least two in the room. What happened? How long I've been unconscious? _

Each thought was painful. He was finding it difficult to have anything more than short bursts of thought.

_I have to think. _He needed to think in order to stay alive.

As his mind moved closer to consciousness, he was starting to register more pain. This was in a different part of his body; it was like a hard knot of agony. He heard himself moaning.

Sester tried to open his eyes but the first shaft of light was like a painful dagger piercing directly into his brain. _Bad idea. For now. _

Instead he tried to remember what happened. His last memory was of being on the ship with Avon, Argus and Reya. They had been in a battle with the aliens. He remembered the ship being hit and explosions. That was the last thing he remembered.

The act of remembering seemed to bring about more pain in his head; but he had to continue.

_Did we win? Have the aliens taken over the ship again? Where are the others? Was I injured in the battle? _

Sester screamed in pain. Someone was pressing down on the knot. It was excruciating. He couldn't move away from the pressure, something was restraining him.

_I need to find out what's going on._ Sester opened his eyes. Despite the pain, he kept them opened. He recognized his tormentor. It was Senior Controller Dayto.

"That's better," said Dayto as he saw that Sester now had his eyes opened. "We're going to have a talk about what you're going to do for us."

_This again. That must mean that we won. You have lost your powerful ally. So you are going back to your original plan._

"Why?" asked Sester in a barely heard voice. He didn't seem to have the energy to speak. "I'm not going to say anything different than I did before."

Sester wished that it was not so difficult trying to think right now. He needed his mind fully functional.

Dayto's hand pressed down against Sester's wound again. Sester cried out in pain and moaned as the pressure continued. His breathing was in short agonized gasps. He twisted against the straps securing him to the bed.

"I think you will say something different and very soon," said Dayto with a cruel smile. When Sester stubbornly refused to say anything further. Dayto instructed the interrogators in the room to continue. He got out of their way and leaned back against the wall while he watched.

The senior interrogator, Croft asked, "What do you want done with the woman, sir?"

"Do we know who she is yet?" Dayto asked.

"No. She's surprisingly resistant. But it's only a matter of time."

"Continue to soften her up," instructed Dayto. "I want to know who she is."

"Very well, sir."

"What is being done with her now?"

"The standard treatments. Sleep deprivation. Physical exhaustion. And rotating interrogation sessions."

"That fool that was working on her yesterday, I want him kept away from her."

"He wants another crack at her, sir."

"I don't doubt it, but I have no use for incompetence."

"He is one of our best, sir."

"You had better have better ones then or you're not going to get anywhere with her. She's a professional."

"Do you think she was assigned to protect him?" asked Croft.

"That's what we need to find out."

"I'll work on her myself," said Croft.

"Good. And Croft. Keep your hands off her."

"It's going to be hard to work on her if I can't touch her, sir," he said facetiously.

"I mean it Croft. I don't want her spoiled. At least not yet. If she is more than just a bodyguard, we need to find out first," stressed Dayto.

"You think you might get more use out of her if she was more than just a bodyguard?" asked Croft.

"Exactly."

"We can work around your restrictions. There are many other options available."

Dayto was about to say something else but he stopped. It was too quiet. He approached the bed where Sester lay. There were several med-techs working on him.

"Did he agree to give us what we want already?" Dayto asked one of the interrogators.

"No, sir. He just passed out. "

"Well, wake him up and continue," said Dayto. He wondered if they needed better training procedures for interrogators. Some retraining therapy might not be a bad idea either.

One of the med-techs turned around and addressed him, "He's not in good shape, sir. He's very weak and he's suffered internal damage again. We have to fix the injury first unless you want him to keep passing out from blood loss."

"Make it fast."

"I would recommend a different form of persuasion. Unless it is your intention to continue allowing him time to recover, while he's receiving medical treatment."

The Senior Controller did not expect Sester to give in that easily. He would have been disappointed if he had; but he was hoping for faster results.

Once the invaders had left, his group had thought they would have a chance to gain control but circumstances had gotten in the way. Now there was a Federation strike force in orbit and Federation assault troops occupying key areas on the planet. They were running out of options. He was hoping that Sester would be able to see something that they couldn't.

"Very well. Fix him up and then have him and the woman transported to our secure facility."

To Croft he said, "Make sure you keep him and the woman away from our Federation friends until they've been secured."

"Yes, sir," replied Croft.


	7. Chapter 7

"Cally, are you alright?" Ture asked with alarm.

Jenna, Cally and Ture were going back to the checkpoint closest to the coordinates for the life capsules. They were waiting for Cally's young thief friend, Palty to bring someone who could guide them out of the city.

Cally had suddenly stopped. Her eyes were closed in concentration. She appeared to be listening.

"Cally?" Jenna also asked with concern. "What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure," said Cally. There was uncertainty in her tone. "I think its Avon."

"Do you know where he is?" asked Jenna.

"No. He's….distressed," said Cally. "I don't know how else to describe it."

"Is he in danger? Is he hurt?" asked Ture. The thought that he might be able to meet someone he had always wanted to meet, filled him with excitement and anticipation. But the idea that Avon might be hurt was worrying.

Cally didn't know how to tell them what she felt when she could read Avon. She was never aware enough to know the specifics; but she knew that most of the time now he was just barely hanging on.

That deep sense of damage, which she had felt from Avon after the first rescue, had never gone away. In fact it had become much worse after they rescued him the second time.

Cally felt responsible. She knew that he had endured a lot for her. He had never told her what or how or why; he would never do that, but she knew.

"Well, we still have to find them. Do you at least have a direction?" asked Jenna.

"No. But he must be near or I would not be able to sense him," said Cally.

"They might be blocked by the checkpoints like we are," said Ture.

"You're probably right," said Jenna. "Then they must be trying to find a way into the city."

"Assuming they haven't already," said Cally.

"Or that they haven't been caught," added Ture. This was even more worrying.

"He wouldn't be caught. He's too good at staying alive," said Jenna coldly. "But it would be ironic if they find a way in, just as we find a way out."

Cally wasn't sure why, but she was certain that it was not danger or physical pain that Avon was experiencing.

_What's happening, Avon? Where are you? _Cally tried to project her thoughts to him but she knew that with his mind preoccupied, it was doubtful he would be able to hear her.

* * *

Several hours later Avon and Vila were making their way along an underground water drainage tunnel into the city. Vila had boasted that he always knew at least half a dozen unofficial ways into any city. Avon wished that he had found one that was not quite so fragrant.

It was almost pitch dark in the tunnels. Avon leaned heavily on a makeshift cane as he walked along beside Vila. He was tired and his knee was in pain as the drugs began wearing off.

"Come on. You've got to move faster than that, Avon. We should be near the end," said Vila encouragingly. Avon had been moving slower and slower as they progressed.

Vila's cheerful encouragements were starting to irritate Avon. He would normally have responded with a biting comment about the uselessness of inane chatter; but after what had just occurred between them earlier, it seemed inappropriate. He had to say something though.

"Vila."

"Yes, Avon?"

"Silence would be more useful," said Avon.

"Oh. Right. Are you sure?" asked Vila. Actually helping Avon was not the only reason Vila was keeping up the chatter. Dark tunnels made him nervous.

"I'm sure," Avon said firmly as he tried to keep his footing. The tunnels were slippery in places and he needed to concentrate. Vila's prattle was distracting.

"You're a hard man to help sometimes. Well, most times," said Vila.

"You're _not_ helping," Avon pointed out again.

"Alright. Alright. You don't have to tell me twice."

"I just did."

"Or three times."

Avon glared at him. Vila fell silent but there was a hint of a grin on his face.

There were loud noises ahead of them. They looked at each other in alarm. There weren't that many possibilities for there to be loud noises in the water drainage tunnels.

* * *

"Why are you doing this, Servalan?" asked Argus. He was tired and in pain. His exertions during the battle and punishment he had taken during the struggle with the invaders, made everything much more difficult.

Meeting the challenge of the woman on the screen required him to be at his best. Unfortunately, he didn't feel at his best at the moment. Far from it in fact.

Argus slowly got up and tried to stretch. Every movement hurt; but in a way the pain was a welcome distraction. It helped keep him awake.

Since appearing on the vidscreen, Servalan had kept him constantly talking. Even when it was not her on the screen, it was one of her people. From his interactions with them, he suspected that they were psychostrategists.

_Psychostrategists. I'm really starting to hate them_.

Unfortunately, the nature of the communications was such that he could not ignore them.

He had tried making a quick trip down to the med unit several times, to get something to help; but that had triggered alarms by Zen. Servalan had her ship fire several warning shots when he no longer appeared on the screen or tried to cut off the vid feed. Further damage to the ship would have interfered with critical repairs, if not add to them. Argus couldn't risk it.

He hadn't even attempted to bluff Servalan by threatening to destroy the ship. They both knew he was not prepared to do that. At least, not yet.

It was a strange race between the autorepair units and whatever agenda Servalan had in mind. Argus could not believe that she would allow the ship to become fully functional before making a move. But as long as she made no attempts to board or capture the ship, he had to play her game; at least until he knew what she was really after.

The _Justice_ was still their best chance of escaping their present situation. It was an advantage Argus was not willing to give up yet.

The self-destruct connections were still primed and ready. It would only require two quick connections to deny her the ship; if that finally _did_ prove to be what she wanted. That much control he did have and there was nothing Servalan could do about it.

"I didn't realize how decorative you were," said Servalan eyeing him appraisingly. "The pictures on your service records do not do you justice.

Argus sighed. Servalan avoided direct questions when it did not suit her purposes; and she had an annoying habit of being irritating in return. She had no intention of telling him what she wanted yet.

_It was worth a try. _Argus slowly sat down again. His arm was held protectively across his ribs.

"Forget it. You're not my type, Servalan. Unprincipled sociopaths have no attraction for me."

Servalan smiled.

_Insulting you really is an exercise in futility, isn't it_, thought Argus.

"And what _is_ your type, Commander?" she asked.

_You're trying very hard to irritate me. Why are you doing this? Are you just trying to wear me down? Push me to make a mistake? Or something even more devious? _

Servalan didn't seem the sort who would engage in idle banter; unless it suited her purposes or she felt she was going to gain an advantage.

"Why does that concern you? Or have you finally run out of things to talk about?" Argus challenged her with a question in return. "Or," he leaned forward slightly, "are you interested in making me an offer?"

"Would an offer interest you?" There was a cold eagerness in her voice; it was a strange combination.

"Depends on the offer."

"I don't suppose power or wealth would interest you?"

"What do you think?"

"I think we should stop wasting each other's time," said Servalan. "Name your price."

"_That_ was a mistake," said Argus flatly.

"It was meant to be. You never had _any_ intention of accepting an offer from me."

Argus smiled cynically. "As I said, you're not my type, no matter what the price."

"You are getting better at this," remarked Servalan with an amusement that made Argus feel cold.

"So we continue to waste each other's time playing games?" asked Argus.

"I _never_ waste time, Commander. My games _always_ have a purpose."

_Yes. You are a devious snake. _Argus didn't have a choice but to continue playing, for now.

As Argus waited for Servalan's next move, he wondered how Reya and the others were doing. He wondered if Reya had gotten over her anger at what he had done yet.

As much as he would like to, he knew he could not afford to contact the others. It would give away too much to Servalan. In the meantime he had to fight this dangerous enemy alone.

* * *

Avon and Vila were lying very still in a cramped drainage connector as a Federation patrol came through the tunnels. Light from hand torches played across damp surfaces and were reflected in menacing shapes along the walls.

It was a standard Federation patrol; there were no civilians in this group. They were the familiar ruthless enforcers of Federation interests; professional and faceless. This group moved with purpose and efficiency.

After they left, Vila helped Avon down. Though helpful was not quite the word Avon would have used, since he ended up falling and twisting his already pained knee. He stifled a groan. The patrol was no longer visible, but that didn't mean that they wouldn't be able to hear them. In the tunnels, sounds tended to echo and magnify.

"Sorry," whispered Vila as he helped Avon up. Avon grimaced as he placed weight on the even more injured knee.

_Wonderful, _thought Avon_. _There was more pain, he would be moving even slower, and he was also wet now.

Vila said, "I was only trying to…"

"Yes, I know. You were only trying to help. Though I think in your case, less help would actually be more help. Shall we go?"

Vila handed him the makeshift cane. They made their way carefully, listening for more patrols.

Avon was concerned, though he didn't share his concerns with Vila. The Federation sending patrols into these tunnels was not a good sign. It meant that they were on high alert.

* * *

Cally, Jenna and Ture had been discussing their plans after they had watched a Federation patrol being sent through the water drainage system Palty's contact was going to lead them through.

Gayner, the contact was reluctant to lead them into the tunnels after seeing the patrol.

He said, "It's too dangerous now. I've never known the Security people to send patrols into the tunnels before."

Cally said, "We have to risk it. Avon and the others are in even more danger now."

Jenna had mixed feelings about risking her life to save Avon but Reya had become a friend and she wasn't about to abandon a friend.

"Cally's right," said Jenna. "We'll have to risk it."

"I agree. We have to save Avon and the others," said Ture.

"I'm sorry but no amount of credits is going to make me go into tunnels crawling with Federation troops," said Gayner. "I'm not about to risk my neck."

"You have to," said Jenna. "You're the only one who knows the tunnels. We'll protect you."

"With what?" asked Gayner. "You only have one working weapon between you."

"Our friends may die or get captured if you don't help us. You know what the Federation is capable of," said Jenna.

"Yes, I do know. That's why nothing you can say will make me go. I'm not stupid. And if you're smart, you won't go either."

"If we give up out of fear, then the Federation wins," said Cally.

"Yes, well I'd rather be a coward and alive, than dead anytime," said Gayner. "You're on your own." He turned to go.

Jenna moved to block him. "You can't go." Jenna was the one holding the handgun, though she made no threatening moves with it.

To say that things were not going well was an understatement.

At that moment a voice said, "What do we have here?"

They all turned towards the entrance of the tunnel, and the source of a very familiar voice.

"Avon! Vila!" exclaimed Cally as she walked quickly towards them. Jenna and Ture followed her.

Avon held up his hand as he saw that Cally was about to help him or hug him. "I'm fine, Cally."

"You're a sight for sore eyes," said Vila.

Cally hugged him instead but quickly let him go. There was a big grin on Vila's face. There was no expression on Avon's face but he seemed to lean on his cane a bit more.  
She sniffed at the odour emanating from them. "I think you can both use some cleaning."

"Well, we can thank Vila for that," said Avon.

"You're just annoyed that Cally hugged me," remarked Vila.

Avon stared at him with a complete lack of expression or reaction.

As Jenna and Ture reached them Avon asked, "Were we interrupting something?"

Jenna ignored him and asked, "Where are the others?"

"I'm afraid someone else got to them before we could," replied Avon.

"Really? I thought you came down together. How is it that you got away?" said Jenna cynically.

Avon stared at her for a moment but did not react to the suspicion in her tone. He was used to people suspecting him but something in Jenna's manner instantly put him on his guard.

Vila interrupted, "That's true, Jenna. When we got to the other life capsules, there were people there already. We couldn't see the commander or Sester."

"You don't need to explain, Vila," said Avon.

"But I do. Jenna thinks that…." Vila said.

Avon looked directly at Jenna, "Yes, you do think that."

"Are you going to tell me that I'm wrong?" asked Jenna cynically.

"Well, it doesn't really matter what I say now. Does it, Jenna?"

"Avon, that's not true. Tell him, Jenna," said Cally. She was hoping that it really wasn't.

Jenna was one person Cally was rarely able to sense except when emotions were strong. There was a blank wall when she tried to get an impression of what the other woman was feeling now.

Ture was looking very uncomfortable. He had edged back to give the four crewmates some space. The last thing he wanted was to be in the line of fire. For him this was much worse than being in an actual battle.

"I don't understand. What are we talking about?" asked Vila in a confused tone. He was suspecting that Avon and Jenna were talking about something more than the life capsules now.

"You don't need to understand, Vila," said Avon. He looked at Jenna and said, "No one else needs to understand. But I suggest that we go somewhere safer first before we continue this discussion."

"That's what it's always about with you, isn't it Avon? _Your_ personal safety?" The bitterness in Jenna's voice was like poison.

Avon smiled cynically at her attitude, "Of course. Is there anything else?"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Avon, Vila, Cally, Jenna and Ture returned to the residence they were using as a hideout. They had to avoid several Federation patrols but there were no incidents.

"You're back," said Allren with relief as he opened the door for them.

They all filed in and introductions were made.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you," Allren said to Avon. Avon looked at him but didn't respond.

Allren looked at them all with a puzzled expression. The tension in the fair was palpable. "What's going on?"

"I think we're all tired," said Cally. "Whatever issues need to be resolved can wait until tomorrow." She had been hoping that the strain would have lessened by now but it was clear that it had not.

Jenna and Avon were staring at each other. Jenna clearly wanted to deal with things now.

"You're only postponing this," said Jenna. She was speaking fto Cally but her eyes never left Avon's.

"By all means, let's postpone it. Postponing works for me," said Vila.

"When did you need someone else to run interference for you, Avon? First Vila and now Cally," said Jenna mockingly.

"I need no one," said Avon coldly.

"Did Servalan do that to you? Can you not fight your own battles now?" asked Jenna mockingly.

"When did this become a battle?" asked Vila. "Aren't we all on the same side?"

"Do not interfere, Vila," said Avon.

Vila looked at the two combatants nervously but didn't say any more.

"Vila's right," said Cally as she stepped between them. "We are all on the same side. We have more important problems to deal with now. Avon? Jenna?"

Avon and Jenna continued to stare at each other. There was no expression on Avon's face but there was no question that there was something very unfriendly in Jenna's.

"I want to know what happened on the ship, Avon," demanded Jenna. "Vila told me about Malodar. How you tried to kill him to save your own neck. What happened to Argus? Why he didn't come down with you?"

"Jenna!" exclaimed Vila.

Allren interjected, "Jenna, Argus was still alive when the life capsules came down. Remember? He contacted us."

"Yes, but I want to know why he stayed. Why wasn't it you, Avon? Vila told me that you never explained why it was Tarrant who stayed on the _Scorpio_ when it crashed. Convenient, isn't it? All these people risking their lives so that _you_ can be safe? "

They all seemed to be holding their breaths as they waited for Avon to respond. Avon's face was unreadable and showed no emotions other than the tension around his eyes.

He looked at her appraisingly. There was a deep hatred in Jenna's eyes; and something he was very familiar with. His stomach seemed to twist; his jaw tightened at the pain.

Avon knew that they had not reached the main source of Jenna's bitterness towards him yet. This was just a prelude.

"You have a weapon. What are you waiting for?" asked Avon coldly.

"Avon!" Cally cried out.

"That's where this is leading, isn't it?" Avon asked Jenna in a cynical voice. "I thought I would save us the time."

"You don't think I will? Then you're a fool," said Jenna.

Avon studied her carefully. There was no doubt what her intentions were but she had made no movement towards the handgun tucked inside her jacket.

He told her, "On the contrary, I know you will. But as long as I am useful to you, you won't. Otherwise you would have already killed me by now."

"You think that being smart will save you?"

Avon smiled cynically but didn't respond. He ignored her and turned to Cally. "I'm tired, is there a place to rest?"

"Yes, over here," said Cally as she led the way to one of the beds. Avon followed her. Jenna made no moves to either stop or follow them.

Everyone else found their own places to rest. They all walked carefully around Jenna, giving her a wide berth. She was left standing alone, still watching Avon. Shortly afterwards she made her way towards the door.

"Where are you going, Jenna?" asked Vila.

"I'm going to take a walk. Do you have a problem with that?" asked Jenna.

"No. Just asking. It's dark outside."

"It's dark in here," said Jenna. Vila noticed that she was still watching Avon. Without another word Jenna turned her back to them all and left the room. Vila also noticed that she still had the handgun with her.

* * *

Cally had led the way to one of the beds in the corner of the room. Avon handed her the equipment satchel he had been carrying.

"You might find some items of interest to you," said Avon as he slowly settled himself on the bed and leaned back tiredly against the wall.

Cally opened up the bag and began rummaging through it.

"I could have done with some of this days ago," said Cally as she pulled out some of the medical equipment and supplies Avon had brought with him. She took out a bio-injector and studied it.

"Good. You didn't forget," said Cally as she registered that it contained the drugs which Avon needed.

"No. As much as I would like to," said Avon. He closed his eyes.

"One day you won't need them."

"You must know something I don't then," said Avon.

"Do you want to talk about what just happened?" asked Cally in a quiet voice.

"Not particularly," said Avon without opening his eyes. His face was pale and drawn. He did not look like he had the energy to deal with anything at the moment; never mind something as serious as what nearly just happened with Jenna.

"Alright. You should get some rest," she told him. "Although, it might be a good idea if you get cleaned up first. Both you and Vila. And I'll try to find you changes of clothing."

"You don't need to take care of me, Cally." It had galled Avon that everyone seemed to feel that he needed to be helped. What Jenna had said earlier about the others having to defend him because he could no longer protect himself, had filled him with anger.

"You don't need anyone? Again? That is getting old, Avon. Believe me, it's not just for you," said Cally.

Avon gave a short cynical laugh, "Alright."

Vila protested vigorously that his washing could wait until the morning since he could not possibly smell as bad as Avon; considering he hadn't fallen into the water. A sharp look from Avon made him change his mind.

By the time he and Vila were more presentable, Avon was so drained of energy that he didn't even bother protesting when Cally helped him into bed. Using the bio-injector, Cally applied the sedative mixture that would give him the rest he needed without the nightmares.

Cally watched Avon as he slept. She had an uneasy feeling that she could not express. In his confrontation with Jenna, Avon seemed like the old Avon; but Cally knew that there was something disturbingly different. She didn't know what it was yet but she knew it wasn't good.

What was even more worrying was that neither she nor Vila seemed to have been able to stop either one of them.

* * *

The next morning, they were all worried. Jenna still had not returned from the night before.

"Did anyone see her come back?" asked Cally as she checked Vila's wound. It was almost completely healed.

"I was sleeping." Vila rubbed his eyes and yawned. He had not liked being awoken from a very entertaining dream. It involved several shapely singers in a lounge. They had all been very interested in his magic tricks.

Allren and Ture shook their heads.

"I'm sure she will make an appearance. When she's done what she needs to do," said Avon. He was working on ORAC at a table nearby.

"Doesn't it worry you what she might be planning?" asked Cally.

"Why should it?" asked Avon. He still looked tired even after a night of rest.

"Well, there's a little matter of her wanting to kill you," said Vila.

"There is a difference between wanting to and actually doing it," said Avon impassively as he picked up small hand scanner from the table and made several adjustments.

"You don't think she will?" asked Cally.

"No. She can't afford to yet."

"Why are you so confident?" asked Cally. She could see that he was.

"She needs me to fix ORAC," said Avon with a slight cynical smile as he passed the scanner over ORAC's interior workings.

"What?" exclaimed Vila. "Then what are you doing? Stop fixing it!" He reached for the scanner Avon was using. It seemed like he wanted to grab it out of Avon's hands.

Avon blocked his hand. "No. We need ORAC," said Avon.

"We need you even more," said Cally.

"Don't let sentiment cloud your reason, Cally. With ORAC we have a much better chance of surviving," said Avon.

"You mean a better chance than with you?" asked Cally. "I don't believe that. And as much as I hate Servalan, she knew that you were more valuable than ORAC too."

"Cally's right, Avon," said Vila. In a choice between Avon and ORAC, Vila had no hesitations.

"Do _not_ mention that woman's name again," said Avon. There was a cold, tight anger in his voice. "I have work to do. I wish to be left alone." There was a hard look on his face. It was not a request.

* * *

Sester's mind was recovering along with his body. Thought was no longer a painful struggle. Following the med-tech's suggestion, his captors appeared to have allowed him time to heal before attempting more interrogations.

This did tell him one thing. They considered him a valuable resource. This gave him some leverage.

Sester hated having no information. It put him at a severe disadvantage. He resolved to correct that lack as soon as possible.

He was still restrained to the bio-bed but other than for the medical attendants, he was generally left alone. Senior Controller Dayto had not made reappearance since that first day when he had tortured him.

Sester didn't know how long he had been there or how he had ended up on the planet with these people again. His mind ran through numerous possible scenarios which fit the few facts that he possessed. The med-techs were not very helpful and he dared not ask too many questions for fear they would realize how little he knew. He was in a precarious position.

There were also two other possibilities which were disturbing.

The first was that Dayto did have the others captive and was going to use them against him at a later time. The second was that he had discovered whom they were and was going to use them too.

"Good. You're awake," one of the med-techs said when he noticed Sester's eyes were open.

"That interests you?" asked Sester.

"It will interest the Senior Controller," the med-tech replied.

_Good. It is time I get some answers of my own_, thought Sester. Now that his mind was functioning again, he was up to playing some games.

* * *

"All you have to do is tell me your name," said Croft reasonably.

Reya was strapped into an inclined board while they worked on her in the interrogation room. She was exhausted and had been without sleep for almost three days. The pressure and interrogations had been non-stop since they had brought her to this new facility.

A continuous flow of drugs entered her body through a bio-line inserted into her arm. Maintaining coherent thought was a constant struggle as they kept her disoriented. She tried to focus on why she was there and what she had to do.

At her continued silence, Croft said, "I don't want to do this but you leave me no choice." He nodded to the tech specialist seated at a panel nearby. The man entered in a code for the next drug sequence.

"Really? _You_ don't have a choice."

Croft looked at her in surprise. This prisoner rarely spoke. He signaled the technician to stop.

"I don't. But I have to get answers. That is my job," he told her.

Reya lifted her head and studied Croft. She gave him a cynical smile.

"You enjoy this too much. You don't need a choice," she said simply before she put her head back down. Even that little movement seemed to drain what energy she had.

Croft stared at her. She should not have been able to guess that. He was wondering if he had given anything away. He could not imagine that he had. He was too good.

There was only one way she would know. The Senior Controller was right. She was a professional. That meant the standard approaches would not work with her. She would know all of them. Croft indicated for the technician to continue.

"Very well. Let's assume that is true."

"Let's not assume."

"Alright. I will not insult your intelligence."

"Are you going to lie to me now? Tell me that this will stop if I tell you my name? We both know it won't. You need something more from me than just that."

She could not prevent herself from moaning as the sensation of fire began to race through her veins.

"You're right. We are after something more. But for now, I just want a name," Croft told her. "Then you can rest for a few hours. Re-gather your strength."

Reya could barely think now. Breathing was coming in short agonized gasps.

"No!" Her refusal came out in a shout of agony. Reya felt like she was being burned alive. She strained against her bonds.

_I can't give them what they want. Not yet._

The only thing she had to bargain with was to deny them what they wanted. She began to scream as the drugs took over and overrode all thought.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Avon put the laser probe down in disgust. Cally had been watching him work and asked, "What's wrong?"

"There's no way to fix ORAC without additional parts," he told her.

"Can we get them from here? What about the shop we went to before?" she asked.

"Unfortunately, these are not the kind of parts which can be bought," said Avon. "Professor Ensor made some very radical breaks with tariel cell technology when designing ORAC."

"Then where can we obtain these parts?" asked Cally.

"Onboard the _Justice_," replied Avon. "I had suspected as much when ORAC could influence Zen's systems, despite it being based on an entirely different technology."

"You're saying that ORAC's technology contains aspects of the technology which the Altan System used to design their ship's computers?"

"A rudimentary move in that direction, yes."

"Then you can't fix ORAC."

"Not until we get back on the ship."

"I'm glad," she told him. Cally was relieved. She had been unable to convince Avon not to continue with the repairs. This was even better than she hoped.

Avon was about to reply when the door opened and Jenna came in with a group of tough-looking men.

* * *

The sound of people coming into the room caused Sester to open his eyes. Senior Controller Dayto entered the room, flanked by several black uniformed interrogators.

Sester had been expecting a visit from this man since the other day. What he was not expecting was Reya being dragged in behind him by several guards. Her body hung limp between then, her head hung down.

"I thought you might like to see an old friend," said Dayto. One of the guards yanked on Reya's hair and lifted her head to face him. Reya's jaw tightened in pain but she made no sound as she saw the person strapped to the bed.

Reya's face did not register that she recognized the man on the bed. She was relieved to see that Sester was alive and had gotten the medical treatment she had hoped.

"What is this?" asked Sester.

"That all depends on you," said Dayto.

Sester made several quick determinations. He could already calculate what Dayto's moves would be. They had been obvious the moment he had brought Reya in.

There were many things which were unavoidable. The objective was to position himself in the best possible position to affect the final outcome; and the least vulnerable position in order to survive.

Sester looked at Reya. She returned his gaze without fear; he thought he saw an imperceptible nod.

As a psychostrategist, it was a matter of calculation and analysis to determine the best course of action. This was what he did. It was what he excelled at as a psychostrategist.

But things were no longer that simple for him. He found that he could not let Reya die; no matter what his abilities told him.

First he had to convince Dayto that Reya was important enough to him that she should be kept alive and unharmed. He had to do this carefully.

"You wish to use this woman to pressure me? Save your time. She means nothing to me." There was no emotion in his voice.

"Is that true?" Dayto asked Reya. She looked at him impassively and did not answer. He struck her hard across the face but still she did not react. Dayto smiled and nodded to the guards. They brought up a chair and strapped her to it. From his vantage point, Sester could see her easily just by turning his head.

"What shall we use?" Dayto mused as he took a bio-injector from one of the interrogators. He made several adjustments and applied it to Reya's neck.

It didn't take long. Reya knew there was no way to fight the drug but it was against her nature not to fight. Her jaw clenched, her breathing became strained as she fought the increasing pain. It all seemed clinical as they watched her struggle. Reya knew that this exercise had little to do with her. She was not the one who was important here.

She began to moan at the inescapable pain that was coursing through her body.

At first Sester watched impassively, trying not to react. But as Reya began to moan in pain, he was finding it difficult to continue watching. It was a useful response; he knew that Dayto was watching him. By the time Reya began crying out in uncontrolled agony, he could no longer stand it.

"Stop," he told Dayto. The Controller continued looking at him. He made no move to stop the treatment.

Sester allowed a play of emotions to pass across his face. Anger. Fear.

"Stop!" this time he said it in a stronger voice. The man kept looking at him with no response.

And finally desperation.

"Please. Stop," Sester pleaded with him. Reya continued moaning in pain.

"Tell me who she is to you," demanded Dayto.

"Stop this and I will tell you," said Sester.

Dayto laughed. He sensed victory; he believed he had the advantage now.

"That is not how it works. You tell me what I want. Then you will get what you want. If I chose. Do you understand now?"

Sester's head bowed in resignation. "She was sent to protect me. But we became close."

"How close? Are you lovers?" Dayto pressed.

Sester hesitated.

Reya cried out. Her body arched against the straps holding her down.

Sester moved restlessly against the restraints securing him to the bed; as if he was trying to reach her.

"Answer my question," said Dayto unrelentingly.

"Yes," admitted Sester. His face was filled with pain and anguish as he watched her. He pleaded again, "Don't hurt her anymore."

"Once I get what I want. Not a moment before," said Dayto.

"What do you want?" Sester asked in a reluctant voice.

"You will work for me against the Federation and find a way to convince them to leave us alone," said Dayto.

"If I do what you ask, you will stop hurting her? And you will not kill her?" Sester asked.

"Yes. Do that and this can stop. I will even allow both of you to be together as long as you do what I want," said Dayto.

Sester nodded. "I accept. Release her."

Dayto signaled the interrogators to administer an antidote.

Sester allowed relief to show on his face as Reya stopped reacting in pain. She leaned tiredly back against the chair as her body recovered.

Sester reassured her, "It's going to be alright."

Reya looked at him and nodded. In that look, Sester realized that she understood what he had just done. He suppressed a smile. It was a mistake for Dayto to allow both of them to be together.

* * *

Cally rose from the table where she had been helping Avon. She approached Jenna and the group of men warily.

"Jenna, what's going on? Who are these people?"

"We have to get out of here," said Jenna. "The Federation is carrying on a building-wide sweep of the entire city. These men are rebels who are opposed to the Federation. You remember the group we were observing before?"

"During the street battle? Before the Federation troops arrived?" asked Cally.

"Yes, this is the group we were going to contact before," she told her. "They've offered to help."

Avon had not reacted when Jenna and the men had entered the room. He still had no reaction now but he could not help noticing that all of the men had looked at him and ORAC with interest. Some of them were watching him warily now.

"Why are they searching? What are they looking for?" asked Vila nervously.

"Anyone who doesn't belong presumably," said Avon from where he was sitting. "It makes sense that this would be their next logical step."

Jenna turned towards him. There was a neutral expression on her face.

"You expected this? And didn't bother telling anyone?" she asked.

Avon looked at her with the same neutral expression.

She had made an error in her conclusions from what he had said, but he doubted if she would appreciate him pointing out the flaws in her logic.

He also did not tell her that it had not occurred to him until now. He knew she would never believe him. It troubled Avon that he had not had the foresight to anticipate the Federation's plans. He knew that this was the kind of thing which Argus would have thought of immediately.

"Do we really have time to discuss this?" he asked her. "Or is it your intention to leave me here?"

"Don't tempt me," said Jenna.

"I would think that temptation would be the least of your motivating factors at the moment."

"We would never do that," said Cally. She stared at Jenna, challenging her to disagree.

Avon said, "No. _You_ wouldn't. But I don't think that Jenna has the same problem."

"Cally is right. We can't afford to let you fall into Federation hands. I would rather kill you first," said Jenna. "Though the prospects of letting Servalan have you does have its appeal."

Avon stared at her coldly.

"What happened to you, Jenna? Why are you doing this?" asked Cally.

"I woke up and remembered," said Jenna. She looked pointedly at Avon. "Someone had to."

"Shouldn't we get out of here?" asked Vila, trying to redirect all their attention to something more important.

"You're right, Vila. We can deal with this later. It's not as if you can run," Jenna said to Avon. "Bring him, and ORAC," she directed the men with her.

Avon stood up and placed a hand protectively over ORAC. He stared at the men approaching. His unspoken message was very clear.

Before anything else could happen Vila said, "Here, I'll carry ORAC." He picked up the soft case which ORAC had been transported in and approached the table. Avon looked at him and removed his hand. Vila slipped ORAC into the case and slung it over his shoulder.

By the time they had gathered up the rest of their equipment and followed Jenna and the rebels out into the avenue, Federation sweeper teams were already nearby. They had gotten out just in time.

* * *

"Wake up," said Servalan. 

Argus opened his eyes with a start. He had drifted off while Servalan had been talking again.

She gave him a familiar cold and calculating smile. "Am I starting to bore you?"

"No," said Argus. He shook his head and breathed deeply, trying to keep himself alert. "You could never do that, Madame President."

"Are we on a formal basis now, Commander?" she asked with amusement.

"Calling you Servalan implies a level of familiarity that I could do without."

She laughed with cold amusement.

"And you are annoyed that I call you Commander," she noted.

"If you say so," said Argus in an uninterested tone. "What were you saying before I so rudely interrupted you by falling asleep?"

Servalan hesitated a second before speaking. Argus had the impression that what she was about to say had nothing to do with what she was saying before. He really wished he had been paying attention before he nodded off earlier. Exhaustion was beginning to affect his mind.

"My Security people tell me that Papos suffered from an alien attack."

Argus instantly became alert again. He had been avoiding being the first one to mention this in their conversations; he didn't know what she knew or what information she had access to and she would never have believed his version of the events just on his word. He had no proof about what happened.

But now that they were broaching this topic, more possibilities could be opening up.

Servalan suppressed a smile as she saw his reaction and his increased alertness.

_This will be interesting. But not yet, _she thought. _I think we'll keep you off-balance just a little longer._

She reached forward to the panel in front of her; it was off-screen to Argus. She said, "I'm sorry, something requires my attention. We will talk about this later." Servalan smiled and turned off the vidscreen.

Argus stared at the blank screen. Servalan had never closed the vid feed before. He expected another communication any moment but it never came.

Argus was still wary. After days of wearing him down, he could not believe that Servalan would allow him time to rest.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Argus woke with a start and immediately looked at the main viewscreen. It was still displaying the same star field. He looked at the military grade chronometer on his wrist.

"Damn."

He had almost forgotten that it had been damaged during the EMP wave. For some reason he had never taken it off.

"Zen, what is the current Federation military time?" asked Argus as he absently slipped the chronometer from his wrist.

"Current Federation military time is zero nine fifty two."

It was only an hour since the last time he checked. He sighed heavily. Servalan had cut the vid feed on him four hours ago but there was no point in getting any more rest. He kept expecting Servalan or one of her minions to wake him up. Besides there were things he needed to do before Servalan made an appearance again. He couldn't afford more rest.

Argus stretched and got up. He grimaced. His ribs were still painful.

"Thank you, Zen. Any ship movements in sensor range within the past hour?"

"Negative. No ship movements within detector range."

Argus grabbed a nutrient bar he had taken from the dining area earlier and bit into it.

"I want a complete status report on all ship's systems routed to my terminal."

"Confirmed. Information is now available at requested station.

Argus began to scroll through the report. It was good. The status was at least seventy percent on all major systems.

"What are you doing, Madame President? What devious game are you playing?"

He could not believe that Servalan had allowed him time to repair the ship. From what Avon and the others had told him of Servalan, she had an ulterior motive for everything she did. He was not about to let her win.

* * *

There was a series of buzzes at the door; a coded sequence. Jenna opened the door and one of the rebels entered.

This was the sixth place they had retreated in the last two days in order to avoid the Federation sweeper teams. They were all tired from the constant stress and the need to run.

"We have to go," said the rebel who had just come in.

"Not again," groaned Vila. "I just got comfortable."

Cally said, "Jenna, we can't keep running. There must be another solution. Avon will not be able to keep this up much longer."

Avon was seated on a bench and was leaning tiredly against the wall. His face was pale. He said, "You don't have to worry about me, Cally. I can manage."

"You heard him. He said he can manage," said Jenna coolly. Her attitude had not changed towards him. "You had better be right, Avon. None of us are going to carry you. Get up."

"I'll give you an adrenaline shot first," said Cally as she reached into the equipment satchel she was holding.

"No. We should save it for when we really need it," Avon told her.

Cally thought he needed it now but the hard and determined look on his face stopped her. She nodded reluctantly.

Avon got up slowly from the bench, grimacing at the pain from his knee. It had gotten progressively worse over the last two days. Cally handed him the makeshift cane.

"You don't need that. I've got something better," said Vila. He reached behind him and pulled out something from the corner. Vila came over and handed it to Avon.

It was a walking stick.

"How did you manage to get this?" asked Avon as he accepted the cane. He studied it. It was a dull black metallic material that did not reflect any light. Etched into the handle was a depiction of an ancient mythological creature; it resembled a white dragon.

"Trade secret," said Vila with a grin. "Just say thank you."

Avon nodded. "Thank you, Vila." He tested his weight on it.

"How _very_ nice," said Jenna sarcastically. "Maybe you won't be that much of a liability after all. Though I doubt it."

Avon turned towards her with a complete lack of expression on his face. He had stopped reacting to her baiting comments. It was not worth the effort. He could not afford to expend the little energy he had in pointless verbal battles.

"Why are you letting her get away with saying these things to you?" Vila asked him. "You never would have in the old days." He refused to accept an Avon who no longer seemed able to defend himself.

"If you haven't noticed, these aren't the old days anymore," said Avon.

"No. You made sure of that," Jenna said to Avon. She addressed Vila, "Don't waste your time on him, Vila. He's not worth it anymore. If he ever was."

Avon stared at her for a moment. He was tired of her continued barbs which went nowhere.

"If you insist on pursuing this, I doubt you will like the outcome," said Avon.

"Is that meant to be a threat?" asked Jenna sarcastically.

"No. Threats are more _your_ department," said Avon scornfully. "But unless you want these to be our last words, I suggest we get out of here first."

The rebel who had just come in said urgently, "We don't have time for this, Jenna. We have to go now!"

Jenna nodded. "Alright." She turned to Avon, "This is not over."

"I didn't think it would be," said Avon.

* * *

Sester was finally recovered enough to be released from the care of the medical attendants.

"Where is Reya?" he asked when Dayto came to speak to him again.

"Is that her name? She never did tell us," said Dayto. "She must love you very much. She went through a lot in order to protect you."

"Where is she?" demanded Sester again.

"Such impatience. I promised that she wouldn't be harmed as long as you cooperated. You should learn to trust me."

"You hold all the advantages; can I afford to trust you?"

Dayto laughed cynically. "Don't worry, you'll be able to see her soon enough. For the time being. I just wanted to remind you of our agreement."

"You've reminded me. Now where is she?"

"The guards will take you there. You'll be given some time with her. But I expect you to start working on a plan against the Federation tomorrow."

"Of course," said Sester.

"Remember, I'll be watching you. Both of you. If I find that either one of you is planning anything or if I find anything suspicious from either one of you, I will kill her. There will be no questions first."

"So we both know where we stand."

"As you said, I hold all the advantages. But I know the reputation of the psychostrategists. I know it's not enough to hold all the advantages. You also need to know that I am very serious in getting what I want. There will be no mercy."

Sester had a disturbing thought._ What would happen if you find out that Reya and I are not what I have told you? Would you still consider her enough leverage on me to keep her alive?

* * *

_

The guards brought Sester to a room in the third level of the secure facility.

"Get in," gestured one of the guards.

Sester stepped through the opened doorway, the door slid closed behind him.

It was a spacious room with a large bed at one end and a sitting area with a desk at the other. Unlike the rest of the facility which was depressingly grey, this one managed to look like it was meant for habitation; though whoever had decorated it obviously had not much experience beyond prison décor. The only indication it was a prison was the door which he knew would only open for his captors and the numerous security cameras positioned around the room.

Reya had been standing by a window when he entered the room. A flash of energy across the pane indicated that it was secured by an energy barrier. She turned around and came towards him as he entered the room.

"Reya." Sester approached and put his arms around her. He could feel her body tighten and then relax; for a split second he hadn't been sure if she would accept his actions or break some part of his anatomy. He kissed her. There was no cooperation on her part but neither did she try to draw away.

"It's good to see you," there was great relief in his voice. "Are you alright?"

Reya replied, "You don't have to be careful about what you say. They only have vid security monitors. Not audio. I checked."

"That's something. It's not very intelligent of them though," replied Sester. "I was serious. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," she told him. "You don't have to worry about me. How are your injuries?"

"Mainly healed. The interrogation division med units tend to be very efficient." Sester smiled. "You're a lot like Argus. You don't like anyone worrying about you."

Reya's face suddenly lost all expression. Sester was still holding her; he could feel her body tense.

"What's wrong?" he asked in alarm.

"He's dead. Argus is dead." Her voice choked. Part of her refused to believe the truth. Her mind told her that it was only her heart that could not accept it.

"What happened?" he asked in shock. He had not noticed before but now he could see the sadness and pain reflected in her eyes; and a deep loneliness. Sester didn't know how he had missed it or if she had just hidden it well.

"I don't want to talk about it." She pulled away from him and walked towards the window. He followed after her.

"Is there anything I can do?" he asked. He doubted she would accept comfort from him but he wanted to do something for her.

"There's nothing you can do." Reya had her back towards him and was staring out of the window again.

"Alright." Sester's mind had many suggestions of things he could do but he knew that she didn't want any of them.

"I know that it's not a good time but later when you're ready, I need to know what happened. I have no memory before the battle."

She turned around and faced him. Sester put his arms around her again.

"Don't get any ideas," she warned him as she accepted his embrace.

"That was not my intention. But we have to keep up appearances for the monitors," he told her.

She nodded. "I'm sorry. It's just the wrong time for me to have to do this."

"I understand. I don't want you to tell me now. It can wait."

"No. It won't make much difference," she told him. No matter when she did it, she knew it would always be hard.

Reya began telling him what happened.

Sester had witnessed many forms of courage in the past week; both Avon and Argus had exhibited more than their fair share. What he was witnessing now was an emotional courage which he had never seen before. The play of emotions across Reya's face and the strength and fragility he saw there fascinated him.

She came to the end of the account. "Argus stayed onboard to activate the self-destruct manually. The rest of us came down in the life-capsules. When we landed, we were already surrounded. I don't know where Avon's capsule ended up. I haven't seen him."

Sester leaned forward and kissed her. This time she cooperated. Just a little.

Reya's description of the events had been factual and dispassionate. It had been easier to detach herself emotionally in order to give an account of events. She wasn't sure if she could have done it otherwise. It was still too hard to think about Argus. Her emotions always threatened to overwhelm her when she did.

"Thank you. I know that was hard for you," Sester told her when he pulled back. He had meant for both the account and for the kiss.

"Don't be. You needed to know. And neither of us have a choice," said Reya.

"I didn't know I was that transparent," he said wryly.

"You're not. It wasn't hard to guess though."

He smiled and let go of her. "Have you discovered anything about this facility yet?"

They spent the rest of the day discussing plans and strategies for escaping.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Jenna sat with a group of rebels as the group took a breather in a cafe. The rebels had found them a farther hideout to avoid the Federation sweeper teams. Unfortunately it required them to cross to the opposite end of the city. Without any operational transport except Federation ones, this meant that they had to travel on foot. It was starting to get dark. They had to reach the hideout before the Security curfew went into effect.

Vila, Ture and Allren sat apart from them a little distance away. They were talking quietly and glancing worriedly back towards the way they had just come from. There was still no sign of Avon and Cally's group.

Jenna knew that Tancit, the rebel team leader was worried that they would not make the curfew imposed by Federation Security. She was not about to let go of Avon though.

Peace was coming. She could almost taste it. After so many years, she might finally be able to find the peace she longed for.

Jenna watched Avon and Cally's group as they arrived. Avon lowered himself into one of the chairs with Cally's help. With his reduced speed, his group had been lagging farther and farther behind. The two rebels who had been assigned to watch Avon rested near them.

"Is he really worth the trouble? He's slowing everyone down. We have to get to the hideout before the curfew. We don't have much time," said Tancit.

Jenna answered him distractedly, her eyes never leaving Avon. "Yes, he is."

She spoke with such forcefulness and resolve that Tancit immediately said, "This isn't just about obtaining a powerful computer is it? Is this a personal vendetta? I refuse to risk my people on your private desires for revenge."

Jenna had avoided telling the rebels about Avon. She wanted him for herself. Revenge was very personal for her, though she wasn't about to let Tancit know that.

Jenna turned to look at him. "He is the man who killed Blake. Is that a good enough reason for you?"

Tancit looked at Avon with surprise and instant hostility. "Yes. Even out here, we have heard of Blake. We will do as you ask. What are your plans for him after he fixes the computer?"

"Oh I have a very special end planned for Avon. Something _very_ fitting. Let's get everyone moving. As you said, we have to beat the curfew."

* * *

"Information."

"What is it, Zen?" asked Argus. He was lying down on the couch with his eyes closed. After running systems checks on all of the main systems, Argus was trying to get some rest again.

"There is an incoming communication."

_Finally_.

"Alright Zen, put it on the main viewscreen."

The starfield was replaced by the view of the woman who had been driving him to distraction for three days. He wondered how anyone could be so consistently aggravating over that long a period of time.

_It must be a natural talent_, he thought wryly.

Servalan was dressed in a black outfit with a touch of deep red. Argus noted that she always maintained an impeccable fashion sense and a freshness which, he suspected, was meant to contrast with his own run down appearance.

"What do you want, Madame President?" Argus absently straightened his jacket.

"I would prefer that you call me Servalan."

"No thanks. What's the game this time?"

"The time for games is over," she told him. There was no smile on her face now.

"I highly doubt that."

"Tell me what happened with the aliens."

"Haven't your own people told you that already?" Argus wasn't about to tell her just because she told him to.

"Is this going to be one of those _tedious_ discussions where we avoid each other's questions until we decide that we've bored each other long enough?" asked Servalan.

"That depends on you," said Argus.

"Are you trying to _negotiate_ with me?"

"Even if you were open for negotiation, your record for truth is not very inspiring. I would be a fool to trust anything you say."

"But we are not talking about an alliance here, Commander. No dramatic or permanent arrangements. Just an exchange of information."

"Then lets exchange. You first."

Servalan looked at him appraisingly and said, "My people on the planet only know that there was an invasion of the planet by a group of unidentified aliens."

Argus was surprised. He hadn't expected her to agree on making the first move.

"Yes. That is what we discovered shortly after arriving," said Argus. "We were hit by an EMP wave which disabled the ship. Of course at the time we didn't know who was responsible."

Servalan waited for him to continue. He didn't.

"You realize that if we exchange information like this, we'll be at this all day?" said Servalan.

"I don't trust that you are capable of an equal exchange unless you have no choice. And even then, you'll try to gain every advantage."

"Such mistrust. How will we ever learn to work together?" she said with mock sincerity.

"Yes, you're right. We will be at this all day," said Argus dryly.

"You interest me, Commander. Tell me, why did you choose to become a field officer? It was not a very smart decision. You would have had access to much more power as a staff officer."

"Do we really have time to get into trite personal details, Madame President? As you pointed out, this exchange of information will already take long enough."

After more than three days of Servalan's games, Argus was used to them. It didn't mean that he liked them any better now than when they had started these deadly conversations.

Servalan smiled. The screen always seemed to brighten when she did. It made Argus nervous whenever that happened. He wondered if it was a deliberate effect she was causing with the transmission. Perhaps it was some subtle form of subliminal conditioning.

_I must ask Zen to monitor this,_ thought Argus.

"How focused you are, Commander. Very well. We will get back to the dreary task at hand. As our next transaction, I propose that you call me Servalan as I had requested earlier. In return I will stop calling you Commander, as you had requested earlier."

_You will not win this game of control_, thought Argus.

"Do you have some perverse need to have all your enemies call you Servalan? Does it make it more personal when you kill them?" he asked her.

Servalan laughed. She appeared to be enjoying herself.

"Very well, you will continue to call me Madame President and I will continue calling you Commander," said Servalan. There was an amused look on her face.

"Alright Servalan, where were we?" asked Argus.

"I thought you had decided not to call me that?"

Argus gave her a cold smile. "I have decided that when I do kill you, I want it to be very personal."

* * *

The room was dark. They had barely made it to the hideout before the curfew went into effect. Everyone was trying to get some rest now.

"I am not taking no for an answer, Avon. Not this time." Cally was holding a bio-injector and was seated at the edge of his bed. This time it was set to a pain blocker.

Avon's face was strained and he was leaning tiredly against the wall. His jaw was clenched tightly; he couldn't deny the pain he was in. He nodded to Cally and closed his eyes. There was no reaction on his face as she applied the injector to his neck and there was a slight hissing sound as the drug entered his system.

Cally waited a few moments for the drug to take effect. It was the first opportunity they had to talk together since they had started running from the Federation sweeper teams.

"Avon, when we get back to the ship. Are you still going to try to fix ORAC?" Cally broached the subject carefully, mindful of Avon's reaction before.

"Are you worried about me, Cally?" His eyes were still closed.

"We're all worried about you."

"Don't be."

"You know that once ORAC is fixed, there will be nothing to hold Jenna back. Do you understand why she's acting the way she is?"

"It's not hard to figure out. I'm just surprised it hasn't happened sooner. Did you really think I was going to let Jenna know when I had fixed ORAC?" asked Avon.

"I thought…"

"It's always dangerous to assume, Cally. Especially where I'm concerned," he told her.

"I should have realized your survival instinct would never allow you to do something that foolish," said Cally wryly.

Avon laughed. There was a tone of light cynicism. "Of course."

"Jenna is going to want you to fix ORAC before we get back to the ship. She must know that Argus won't let her kill you," Cally told him.

"Yes. I'm aware of that. And I doubt if she will believe that I can't fix ORAC until we get back to the ship."

There was a question Cally had been wanting to ask. "Do you think that Argus is still alive?"

Avon opened his eyes and looked at her before answering.

"Yes. If the ship had been destroyed at the orbital distance it was at, it would have been very noticeable."

"What do you think has happened then? Why do you think he hasn't tried to contact us?"

"Either the Federation has taken the ship. Or something else is going on that we're not aware of."

"You don't think the ship has been taken, do you?" asked Cally.

"No."

"Why are you so certain?"

"Argus would never allow the Federation to take the ship. He would have destroyed it first."

"It sounds as if you trust him more now," remarked Cally.

"I trust in his desire to overthrow the Federation," Avon told her.

"You think he's another idealist? Poor but honest?" asked Cally with gentle sarcasm; knowing his opinion of idealists.

"No. I think he's something much more interesting. He's a killer with a conscience."

"I think you're wrong," said Cally.

"You don't think he has a conscience?" asked Avon with a cynical smile.

"No, I don't think he's a killer."

"He's just a man who's very good at killing then," said Avon.

"I think he's a good man."

"Is this based on fact, reason or some indefinable sense only known to Aurons?" asked Avon with a light sarcastic tone.

"Just observing him putting up with you," countered Cally. "But seriously Avon, what are we going to do with Jenna? She's not going to accept that you can't fix ORAC until we get back on the ship."

"I'm open to suggestions."

"We're going to have to get away from her," said Cally.

"I had considered that. But as Jenna identified, I have a handicap in that respect. We are currently outnumbered and have no weapons. Even without these factors, if we did get away, we do not know the terrain. Where would we go? We would most likely be caught by the Federation sweeper teams," Avon pointed out.

"We have to do something," said Cally.

"For now, the only thing we _can_ do is wait and watch for opportunities. I will stall with the repairs to ORAC and I'll try to fix the teleport bracelets without bringing Jenna's attention to them."

"Do you think she'll try to take them?" asked Cally.

"Not all of them. Just mine. I would in her position."

"Maybe Allren and Ture can help with the repairs if you tell them what they need to do. Allren was able to adapt the comm unit you modified."

"The two mercenaries? I would rather not," said Avon.

"Why?" asked Cally.

"They're tech heads. I keep getting the impression they want to hug me or something equally distasteful."

"You're exaggerating. They admire you. For some reason they think you're a genius."

"That's what I'm afraid of. They'll never leave me alone if I talk to them."

"You're a snob, Avon."

"Yes. Well this snob needs some sleep. If you would do the honours," said Avon.

Cally took up a different bio-injector from a nearby table and gave him what he needed.

She sighed as she watched the drugs take effect.

_When will you realize that you don't have to do it all alone, Avon?_


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

"You do realize that even if I help you, you are not in a commanding position," Sester pointed out to the Senior Controller. "It is unlikely that you will ever be free of a Federation presence but I can help you to gain more independence."

He was seated opposite Dayto in a very familiar office. Guards were posted by the door. It gave Sester a sense of déjà vu. Everything looked the same, even down to the restraints which were too tight around his wrists.

"That's not good enough. I want the Federation gone. You're a psychostrategist, I'm sure you can figure out something," said Dayto.

_And only your group and yourself in sole power no doubt. That's what you really want, _thought Sester.

"You seem to equate a psychostrategist with some ancient concept of a miracle worker. I assure you we are not," said Sester.

"Then why did I bother saving your life? Why don't I just kill you now?"

_Still the same aggression substituting for real thought. I am going to enjoy planning your demise, _thought Sester

"I said that I am not a miracle worker. I didn't say that I couldn't help you," said Sester. "But a psychostrategist builds scenarios on what is possible."

_And what is impossible only if I feel like it. Which I definitely do not. Not for a fool like you. Not even if I was serious about helping you._

"You had better find a scenario that meets my requirements then," said Dayto.

The man was glaringly transparent in his attempt to be menacing. Sester hated people who did not have the intelligence to be less obvious. Even the straight-forward Argus was capable of much more subtlety than this man was. Dayto was a bully and a fool.

"Possible scenarios are not influenced by threats no matter how much you would like them to be," said Sester.

"I think there is one threat which will change the possibilities." Dayto said. He clearly refused to believe that Sester could not be pushed to do what he wanted.

"Leave her alone," said Sester, the volume in his voice rising.

Dayto smiled cynically. "I was beginning to suspect that she was not who you said she was."

"She is," stressed Sester.

"Then why do you not sleep together?" Dayto asked cynically. There was an unfriendly look on his face. "I thought you said you were lovers?"

Sester did not like this turn in the conversation. Until now he hadn't been sure if this was something Dayto had asked his security people to track. Sester knew that the senior controller might become suspicious if it was. With the setup in the room, it had been impossible to hide the lack of more intimate activity. For Reya's sake, Sester had decided not to broach the subject until it appeared they had no other option.

Sester was prepared for this though. There was still a possibility that the other option would not be necessary. He didn't have that much confidence in the chance though because it depended on the senior controller.

"We are. But we do not appreciate being watched," said Sester. There was a trace of anger in his voice. "We will not perform for your security monitors."

"Don't tell me she's shy," Dayto said.

There was smoothness in Dayto's voice which made Sester realize that he had been a fool to think that there was even a small chance. Security was not the only thing on this man's mind.

There was barely veiled anger in Sester's voice now, "I told you to leave her alone."

Sester had known that setting up Reya, as someone he loved was a double-edged sword for him. He didn't have a choice though. It had been the only way to keep her safe; and they had to be able to coordinate together in order to have a chance to escape.

"I warned you what I would do if I became suspicious," said Dayto. There was an icy tone in his voice now.

Sester recognized the danger. If he gave his opponent what he wanted too fast, Dayto's suspicious mind might conclude that he was trying to deflect him from the fact that Reya was not his lover. If he did not agree to give Dayto what he wanted, then he would kill her or at the very least harm her in some way.

"I am already cooperating; you don't need to threaten her."

"You are not cooperating. Not unless you give me everything I want," said Dayto.

The man didn't seem to have any tone other than varying shades of menace.

"What you are asking is the impossible," said Sester.

"I don't believe you. Just as I do not believe that the woman is who you say she is. I think you have been doing nothing but lie to me. And I think she's too dangerous to keep around if I can't use her."

Dayto gestured to the guards standing by the doorway.

"I am not lying," said Sester.

They could hear the door slide open.

"Wait!" Sester shouted.

Dayto indicated for the guards to stop.

"Well psychostrategist? What is it to be?" asked Dayto.

"You win. I will attempt to do what you ask," said Sester.

"Not just attempt. You will find a solution. If you don't I will kill both of you," warned Dayto.

Sester allowed the anger to show clearly on his face now. "Yes."

Dayto continued, ""Perhaps she is useful after all. But be warned. I will be watching both of you very carefully. If I have any further reason to be suspicious of her, you know what I will do."

Sester ignored his threats and said, "I need a computer to work with and full information on your current situation. I will provide you with a list of the types of data I require."

"You will get them."

_Yes, I am going to take a perverse pleasure in bringing you down. You won't even see it coming, _thought Sester.

* * *

"Stop it! Leave him alone!" shouted Vila. There were sounds of a struggle.

Cally immediately opened her eyes at the commotion.

"No!" There was an anguished shout and more sounds of struggle.

_That's Avon!_

She quickly sat up and looked over to where Avon had been sleeping. Two of the rebels were by Avon's bed, trying to hold him down. Avon was struggling wildly.

"No!" The look in his eyes scared her.

Jenna was watching Avon being subdued by the two men. In her hands, she was holding the comm unit which Avon had modified. The look in her eyes also troubled Cally.

Avon's mind was confused. He had woken up to two Detention Centre guards trying to grab his arms; he knew what that meant and immediately started fighting them. They were going to take him away to be tortured again. He was filled with anger; he would not let them take him without a fight. As he struggled, he was also aware of a nagging fear he was trying to push down. He didn't know how much longer he could continue fighting. Part of him wanted it to be over; but the part of him which was still the old Avon, refused to give up.

Another of the rebels was holding Vila back. Two others were blocking Ture and Allren, who had also come over to help.

Cally got up quickly and went over. "Jenna, stop this. What do you hope to achieve?"

Jenna turned her head to face Cally, "I need his teleport bracelet."

Avon was still struggling madly. He cried out as one of the rebels brought his fist down on his compromised knee. Vila tried to get free from the man holding him in order to stop them.

For a moment Avon stopped fighting as his body stiffened in reaction to the pain. One of the rebels was able to remove the bracelet from his wrist and handed it to Jenna. Avon started to struggle again.

"Ow!" Vila said. His arm was being twisted around behind him by the man he was trying to break away from. He stopped struggling.

"Jenna!" said Cally angrily as she looked at the woman. Cally moved towards Avon.

"Let go of them. We have what we wanted," said Jenna generously.

The rebels let go of Avon and the others and stepped back.

Once released, Avon immediately sat up and slid to the farthest part of the bed, away from his attackers. There was a look of hatred and wariness on his face as he regarded all of them. One hand was rubbing the knee which had been struck.

From the look in his eyes and what she was sensing from him, Cally realized that something was still very wrong with Avon.

"Get away from him," said Cally. There was coldness in her voice. It seemed as if the temperature in the room had just dropped several degrees. "You've already done enough damage." Cally deliberately stepped between Avon and Jenna.

"Enough damage?" Jenna looked at the teleport bracelet in her hand and then at Avon. "For now." She and the rebels left the room; but not before she had also taken the modified comm unit from the equipment satchel.

After she left, Cally sat down at the edge of Avon's bed. They all crowded around. Avon continued looking at them warily.

"Avon, are you alright?" asked Cally, she reached towards him. Avon suddenly lunged at her throat with both hands.

"Cally, watch out!" shouted Vila even as she reacted quickly and backed away from Avon. Avon grimaced. The quick effort had aggravated his knee. He moved back against the wall and glared at them.

"What game is this? Did you really think you can take me with just one person now?" Avon asked coldly.

With shock, Cally realized that Avon didn't know who they were.

"Why is he saying that?" Vila asked Cally. "Avon, it's us."

"What's wrong with him?" asked Allren.

"I need all of you to go to the other end of the room," said Cally.

"But Cally, what if he attacks you again?" asked Vila.

"Please, Vila. Do as I say," said Cally.

"Alright, but we'll be here if you need us." Vila, Ture and Allren went to the other end of the room. They watched Cally and Avon's actions intently.

Cally sat down on the edge of the bed again. This time she moved carefully and slowly, trying not to make any threatening movements.

"Avon," said Cally gently, trying not to startle him.

Avon regarded her coldly. "Are we using names now? Or do you have problems with remembering numbers?"

He was puzzled. This was not Servalan or Sester. They were the only ones who used his name here. Was this a new opponent? Another one of Servalan's underlings? How dangerous was she?

"Avon, I need you to listen to me," said Cally.

"You _need_ me to listen? You make it sound as if I had a choice," said Avon sarcastically.

He was tired off all the manipulation.

"Avon, you're no longer at the Detention Centre. You're safe," said Cally.

Avon laughed cynically. It was a disturbing sound.

Cally realized that she was not reaching him. It was time to try something else. She tried to project her thoughts to him.

_Avon. You need to concentrate. What you're seeing, it's not real. You're not at the Detention Centre. _

Avon put his hand to his head. "No! Get out of my head!"

_Avon. It's Cally. This is not a trick. You must believe me. _

"No! You're not Cally. Cally is dead!" shouted Avon again. Both of his hands held his head. He was trying to fight the thoughts intruding into his mind. They were trying to play with his reality again. He couldn't let them.

_I must be in the psych-interrogation room. It's an induced vision, _thought Avon. He struggled against it.

His mind was breaking through the vision. He saw Cally. _This is not real. You are not real. Cally is dead. I know that Cally is dead. What trick are they playing?_

His mind rejected what he was seeing. He continued to fight. His vision faded between his cell and a room which contained Cally. His mind desperately fought to find reality; but found nothing. His head was starting to hurt. He felt dizzy.

Any minute now, he expected the interrogators to fill him with drugs which would make him scream. They always did when he began breaking through the visions they were forcing into him.

Avon was lying down on the sleep platform now. His hands were still holding his head as he continued to struggle. Someone touched his hand.

There was a stab of thought into his mind._ Avon! You must break out of it! _

It was Cally. The impression of her presence was so strong in his mind that it stopped his immediate instinct to attack the person who was touching him. He could _feel_ Cally in his mind. She was very worried about him and she was afraid for him.

This was the Cally he knew. His logical mind rebelled at the idea that such a thing was possible. But it was so much like Cally that he hesitated.

_Could it be? _Avon began entertaining the thought. _Is this reality or just an insane hope that you're still alive?_

His vision began stabilizing. He reached for the Cally in his mind. His physical hand tightened around Cally's hand.

_Cally? his thought was tentative._

_Yes, Avon. It's me. _

_Are you real? Are you really alive? _

_Yes, Avon. Don't you remember? You saved me, she reassured him._

_I… don't remember. I don't know what's real or not anymore. he told her. He was very tired._

Avon could feel her sadness. It made him uncomfortable.

_Don't be sad, Cally. It's not the time for regrets. _

_I'm not sad. I'm angry; angry that Servalan did this to you; angry that Jenna wants to hurt you. _

Memory was returning. His head hurt. _I need you to get out of my mind, Cally. I'm fine now. _

Through the connection, she could sense that his mind was calm and in control again.

_I'm not in your mind, Avon. Don't worry. Your secrets are still safe. I will break the connection. _

Avon opened his eyes. Cally let go of his hand.

"Are you really alright?" asked Cally. She had taken a chance. Cally knew that powerful telepaths on Auron found that physical touch could enhance the telepathic connection. Avon was not an Auron, but she had always had a stronger sense of him than of the others.

Cally had been surprised that she had been able to hear his thoughts though. She had never been able to do that with another Terran before. Cally wondered if it had something to do with what had been done to Avon's mind.

Avon responded to her query, "Alright? That's a relative term when applied to me I think."

Avon sat up and looked around the room. He recognized it now. Vila, Ture and Allren were still watching him nervously from the other end of the room. They approached tentatively as they saw him looking around.

"What happened?" Avon asked Cally.

"You don't remember?" asked Cally.

"You went a little nuts," said Vila. They were all surrounding Avon's bed again.

"That's not very helpful," Cally told Vila.

"Sorry," said Vila.

"I remember waking up in the Detention Centre. The guards had come to get me." Avon stopped as he realized what he was saying.

"That wasn't real, Avon. They were the rebels with Jenna, not guards from the Detention Centre. They wanted to take your teleport bracelet. When you woke up, your mind must have been confused. It immediately connected them with the guards at the Detention Centre. Did they do that often? Did they come for you when you were still asleep?" she asked.

Avon's jaw tightened before he said, "Yes."

He still remembered the months they had worked him to exhaustion at the Detention Centre. They would come for him when he could not wake up in response to the commands of the security overseers. It had always meant a session in one of the interrogation rooms as punishment. Then even more exhausted and barely able to move, they would force him to work. The systematic cruelty had reduced him to little more than a machine that could be switched on or off at whim of his captors.

Avon could almost feel the pain and the hopelessness again. It had been the closest he had come to no longer being human.

Cally noticed Avon's breathing had become quicker as he recalled the past. She could sense a flow of increasingly strong emotions across his consciousness.

"Avon." There was sharp concern in her voice. He could see the worry reflected in her eyes.

Avon consciously pushed the memories back down.

_I can't let the memories have power over me. I have to maintain control. _

He forced himself to become calm. He looked at Cally impassively.

"I understand that it wasn't real," he told her. His voice was composed. He looked down at his bare left wrist. "Jenna got what she wanted."

Vila said, "Yes. The underhanded….something. Trying to get it when you were asleep. And bringing those thugs with her." Vila wasn't used to calling members of the opposite gender something nasty. Unless it was Servalan.

"You were right about Jenna wanting to take your teleport bracelet," said Cally.

"In this case, being wrong would have been more useful," said Avon.

"You? Wrong?" said Vila in mock disbelief.

"Yes, you're right, Vila. It's not a realistic possibility. More in the realm of fiction."

"I was joking," said Vila.

"I wasn't," said Avon without a change in expression.

"Now I know you're feeling better," Cally remarked.

Avon was relieved that the mood was lighter now thanks to Vila. He was troubled and he didn't want the others to know, especially not Cally. The last thing he needed was emotional reactions from the others when he was already struggling with his own unwelcome ones.

This incident informed him that his control over his own mind was tentative at best. He thought that he had made more progress than this. It was disconcerting to find out that he hadn't. His mind was stronger but his own control over it was not.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

When Sester returned to the room which doubled as a prison cell, he had already prepared what he was going to say. It was easy for him but he knew that it was going to be hard for his companion.

"Reya." Sester approached her and pulled her into an embrace as he had done the previous day.

"How did it go?" she asked.

"He actually trusts that I'm going to do what he asks," said Sester.

"So he believes that we're lovers?"

"Yes. I don't know where he got that impression from," he said mischievously.

"I didn't know that proficiency in the performing arts were a requirement of being a psychostrategist," Reya said dryly. "You were very convincing the other day. I might have believed you if I didn't know the truth."

He grinned. "It's a natural personal skill. I'm very good at it."

"Is modesty another?" she asked.

"Modesty is not a requirement of being a psychostrategist."

For a moment they stopped talking as Sester kissed her. Despite her lack of interest in engaging in this activity with him, Reya could not deny that he was very good at it. She knew that if she allowed herself to, she might take pleasure in the physical aspects of it.

She had no intention of enjoying it though. Just the idea of doing this with anyone other than Argus made her feel ill. She tried not to think about it. Anything which reminded her of Argus always threatened to send her into a spiral of emotions. She couldn't afford that; she had to remain in control if she was going to be able to do what he had asked of her.

Reya didn't understand why emotions came so easily when she thought about Argus. She was not normally an emotional person; she had always been very self-controlled.

Sester broke off his attentions. "You're thinking about him again, aren't you?"

"Yes. How did you know?" she pulled back from him but stayed within his arms.

"I wouldn't be a good psychostrategist if I didn't know."

"I know I'm not much help with this."

"Don't worry about it. No one could expect you to be. I don't."

Sester realized that his task had fallen within the harder end of the spectrum. Reya's relationship with Argus was as strong in his death as it was when he was alive.

Sester's skill as a psychostrategist pointed out the clear course for maximum success. He had known what he was going to do when he entered the room. For some reason, Sester found it hard to ask her to do what they needed to do in order to allay Dayto's suspicions.

"Do you have a way of getting us out?" Sester asked her.

"To get out of this room? Yes, there are several possibilities. Getting out of this facility is another matter, since they won't let me out of this room. I need to be able to see the security layout of the building. Can you get them to allow me time?" she asked him.

Sester's face was expressionless. _I have to tell her._

"We have a problem," he told her.

* * *

"Avon, what do you think has happened to Reya and Sester?" Cally asked Avon as he worked on ORAC.

She sat opposite him and handed him any tools he required from the equipment satchel. Avon knew that other than wanting to help him, Cally was also worried about him because of what had happened that morning.

He didn't want this kind of attention but short of telling her to go away, there was not a lot he could do about it. She was quiet and helpful though. He appreciated that.

"Nothing good," replied Avon without looking up from what he was doing. He was taking a closer look at one of the processing modules inside ORAC.

"Aren't you worried? You haven't even mentioned them."

"You know why I don't."

She knew that since they couldn't do anything about it currently, Avon's rational mind would not waste time on worrying.

"Yes, I do," said Cally. "Could we at least discuss the details?"

Avon sighed and looked at her. It appeared as if she was not going to desist unless he satisfied her questions. "What do you wish to discuss?"

"What do you think has happened to them? Who's holding them?"

Avon had already run through all the possibilities the day when he and Vila were observing the searchers in the woods. He told Cally the conclusions he had come to according to the facts that he knew.

* * *

After Avon told Cally what he suspected about Reya and Sester's situation, he returned to his work on ORAC.

"There isn't anything we can do for them until we are able to resolve this situation with Jenna," said Cally.

"No," said Avon. His attention was absorbed in what he was doing again.

Nearby Vila, Ture and Allren were checking out the single exit from the room.

Vila was studying the lock on the door. He took out a tool he normally concealed in his person and set to work on it.

"I wouldn't bother," said Avon without looking up.

"I could open this lock blind-folded. With one hand behind my back if I had to," said Vila indignantly.

Avon glanced briefly at Vila before continuing with his work again.

He said dryly, "Entertainment for the masses has never interested me but by all means, if everyone else is bored. I'm sure Cally could provide a blind-fold if that would help."

"I think what Avon _means_ is that even if you opened the door, Jenna likely has several people guarding it from the other side," said Cally.

"Is that what I mean?" asked Avon. He turned his head to look at her.

"_Yes_, you do," stressed Cally.

There was a hint of a grin at the corner of his lips as he went to work on ORAC again. "If you say so."

"Avon, do you really think it's a good idea fixing ORAC? It's not very smart if you ask me," said Vila.

"No one asked you," said Avon.

The door slid open suddenly, making Vila almost jump back in surprise. One of the rebels came in with a box and put it down on the table where Avon was working. Without a word the man left again.

Cally opened it. The box was full of various containers of food and water.

"Now that's more like it. At least they're taking care of us," said Vila as he reached in and took out one of the containers and a bottle of water. Ture and Allren took theirs as well. They all stood looking at what was left in the box.

Avon glanced briefly at the container and then returned to his work.

"Avon," said Cally. She had been looking at the box too, taking stock of what was left.

"Yes, I noticed," said Avon absently as he changed the frequency on a sonic adjuster. There was precisely enough food and water for four people.

"She's very serious," she told Avon.

"I never doubted it."

Cally said, "We'll split the food."

"Yes. We can't let Jenna get away with treating you like this," said Vila as he put his container down on the table along with Ture and Allren.

"You don't need to do that," said Avon when he saw what they were doing. "You should keep up your own strengths. Just give me some water."

"We can't do that," she told him.

"My body is accustomed to operating on less food. Yours aren't."

Cally fell silent and Avon continued working. They all stared at him.

"Avon…" said Cally finally.

"It's not a topic of discussion, Cally. If you don't, Jenna might not feel so generous next time."

"Then we'll all suffer with you," said Cally adamantly.

They all nodded in agreement.

"Don't be foolish," said Avon. He finally stopped what he was doing and straightened up to face them. "There is no point in everyone doing this."

"Avon, do you really think that we would do Jenna's work for her by doing what she wants?" said Cally.

"Don't let sentiment…" Avon was about to say something but the door slid open again. Jenna entered the room along with the rebel team leader, Tancit and several of the others. They were all armed.

"I hope the food was alright," said Jenna as she spotted the various containers opened on the table. "You haven't eaten any of it.

"It left a bad taste," said Vila.

"I'm sorry. I'll have them bring something better next time. We can all relax for now. The Federation sweeps seem to be over," said Jenna pleasantly. She crossed over to where Avon sat and stood close behind him. Avon was aware of her movements but did not react. She reached over his shoulder towards the equipment satchel.

Thinking that she was going to do something to Avon, Cally moved towards her. Instantly, there were weapons in the hands of the rebels who had accompanied Jenna into the room.

Jenna stopped the movement of her hand. "There's no need for that." She waved the rebels off. They all pointed their weapons to the ground but kept them in hand. "No one's going to do anything foolish. Are you, Avon?"

Avon turned around to look up at her. His face was unreadable.

"I underestimated you," said Avon.

"Yes, you did," said Jenna.

"It was _not a compliment_," said Avon scornfully.

Jenna slapped him across the face. He gave her a sarcastic smile. She raised her hand to strike him again but stopped herself.

She said, "You think you're clever, Avon but I'm the one with the gun." Jenna reached for the handgun which was tucked inside her jacket. With shock, her hand found nothing. She jerked backwards quickly as she realized what this meant, Avon followed her movement and with a speed which surprised all of them, had stood up and had the handgun to her throat. It was primed.

"Are you _really_?" he said sarcastically as he pressed the gun upwards. For a few moments everyone stood frozen in shock; then all of the rebels raised their guns at Avon while Vila, Cally, Ture and Allren quickly placed themselves between the rebels and Avon.

"What is it going to be, Jenna? Is it time to learn how clever I am? Or do you want to think about it?" asked Avon. There was an icy menace in his voice.

"You're not going to get away with this, Avon," said Jenna angrily. "You're surrounded."

A memory began surfacing. Avon's hand gripped the gun. His heart began racing. The room began to fade. The rebel's began to take on black, menacing shapes.

Cally immediately sensed that something was wrong. "Avon!"

Avon shook his head slightly to banish the vision. He took a deep breath. When he spoke, it was in a composed and measured voice. No one else knew how close he had come to slipping into another vision.

"Are you prepared to sacrifice your friends to get to me?" asked Avon.

"_You_ would, wouldn't you?" said Jenna cynically.

He smiled cynically in response, "At least you're not completely devoid of intelligence. Tell your _new_ friends to put their guns down."

Jenna told them, "Do it."

Tancit said, "Are you sure, Jenna?"

"Yes, she's sure," said Avon.

"Do as he says."

Various weapons clattered to the ground.

Avon directed, "Cally. Vila. Gather the equipment and take their weapons. We're leaving."

Vila slipped ORAC back into its case and picked it up. Cally repacked the equipment satchel and picked up one of weapons. Ture and Allren gathered the rest.

"This is not over, Avon," Jenna said angrily.

"It is for now." Avon asked Cally, "Do you have a sedative handy? Jenna and her friends are about to become very tired. I think we should help them."

Cally nodded and re-opened the satchel to take out a bio-injector.

* * *

Reya was looking out of the window again. It was getting dark outside. She could see the changes in security personnel as the next shift took over. The details of the outside security, at least what she could see of it from the window, were already ingrained in her mind.

She was standing with her arms folded across her chest. Reya was trying to convince herself that there was a decision she was trying to avoid. Actually she had already made it after Sester had talked to her; she just hadn't told him yet.

Sester had been very convincing. He had known all the right things to say to her. He hadn't even tried to persuade her. She recognized that she didn't really have a choice. He had appealed to her commitment to Argus and what he had asked her to do; and to her own overriding sense of duty.

Reya knew that it was going to destroy her emotionally to do what he proposed but she knew that she was still going to do it.

She was afraid.

Sester had left her alone after talking to her; giving her the time she needed to make her decision. She had been very aware of where he was in the room as he tried to give her space. Dayto's people had given him the computer and the data he had requested and he was busy working.

Reya had been at this window for several hours now, trying without success to divorce her emotions from her mind and body.

Argus had told her about the mutoids which the Federation used and how their minds could be wiped. She wished that she could have her own mind wiped after all of this was over.

Reya tried to convince herself that she shouldn't feel guilty; that she was going to do it because Argus had asked her to take care of the others. For that, she had to stay alive and escape.

It didn't work. That was why she was still at this window, staring out at nothing.

She could hear Sester coming up behind her. He was careful not to touch her. Before he could say anything, she said, "Yes."

"Are you sure?"

She turned around to face him. "Yes. But you already knew that."

He nodded and put his arms around her. "You don't have to do anything. Just let me do all the work."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Avon, Cally, Vila, Ture and Allren were trying to put as much distance between themselves and their former hideout as possible. Their speed was determined by Avon's ability to move, which was not very quickly. Even with the cane, days of being on the run had taken its toll on him.

"I've always said that with hands like that, you would've made a decent pickpocket," said Vila approvingly from behind Avon. "When did you do it? When did you take the gun?"

"You were already looking for an opportunity when you turned around, weren't you? Because she was standing too close," said Ture admiringly. He had positioned himself next to Avon while Cally stood on the other side.

"Not very smart of her," remarked Allren. He was walking beside Vila.

"I bet you took it when she slapped you. She was too preoccupied to notice." Ture was talking excitedly.

Allren was amused by his friend's enthusiasm. Ture didn't often speak unless he had something to say. He was being uncharacteristically talkative and animated.

Both Allren and his friend had been very quiet since meeting Avon. Unusually quiet considering how interested in him they had been before meeting him. The last few days of being on the run and watching the unfolding tensions between the crewmates had made them cautious. Neither one of them had wanted to interfere. But now that things seemed to be better, Ture's fascination had resurfaced.

Cally remarked, "You deliberately provoked her."

Even though there was no reaction on Avon's face, from what he had said before about Ture and Allren, Cally could guess that all of this attention was starting to irritate him.

Avon turned his head briefly to look at her as he continued walking. She always did know him well.

"It wasn't difficult. But it wouldn't have worked if she knew I was able to stand that quickly," said Avon.

Ture had been correct. When Avon had turned around to face Jenna, he had already positioned his body for his move. By only putting pressure on the leg which was strong, he had been able to stand quickly.

"Just how incapacitated are you?" Cally asked curiously.

Avon smiled slyly. "Enough."

"That doesn't tell me anything," she told him.

"Exactly. I did tell you that I was watching for opportunities."

"You did. But you fooled all of us."

"You never asked. You all assumed."

"Yes. We must remember to ask you more often," said Cally wryly.

"Yes. You should," said Avon.

"When you heard that the Federation sweep was over. You realized that leaving was now a safer option," said Allren.

Avon was surprised. This was the kind of strategic reasoning he would have expected of Argus. He hadn't expected any of them to notice this detail as the catalyst which prompted him to begin looking for an opportunity to escape.

There was something else which he had reasoned, which none of them seemed to have picked up on. When Jenna had come in with the armed rebels, it was not a good sign. Especially given the additional detail of the food, which made no provision for him.

Avon surmised that it wasn't just spite on Jenna's part. They had come for him, most likely to remove him from the others, so they could force him to work on ORAC without interference or support.

When Jenna had made the mistake of standing over him, a pathetic attempt at intimidation, he instantly seized the chance. Like the others, she had assumed that because of his physical difficulties, that he was helpless and did not present much of a threat.

They finally reached a deserted alley just off the main commercial square and stopped.

"What are we doing here?" asked Vila.

"Cally, do you think you can find your young thief friend? Ask him if he can find us a place to stay for a few days?" asked Avon.

"Palty? Yes. I should have thought of him myself," said Cally. She handed her satchel to Allren and prepared to go in search of the thief.

"Don't tell him anything that he doesn't need to know. And be careful," warned Avon.

"I will."

* * *

As they waited for Cally to contact Palty, there was something about what happened which had been bothering Vila. He finally realized what it was.

"Avon."

Avon had been leaning against the wall, keeping a look-out for Cally's return. He rubbed his shoulder absently. It had begun bothering him lately. "What is it?"

"Are you prepared to sacrifice your friends to get to me?" Vila repeated Avon's words to him.

Avon looked at him sharply. The look on Vila's face was troubled as they stared at each other.

_"You would, wouldn't you?" said Jenna cynically. _They both remembered what Jenna had said.

"Jenna believed it," said Avon.

"She would," said Vila. He continued staring at Avon.

Ture and Allren looked at the two men with puzzled expressions. Neither of them could understand the sudden increase in tension.

"You used Jenna's paranoia against her," said Allren. "You knew that she would believe that of you." To him this sounded reasonable.

"It worked beautifully," said Ture.

"Yes, it worked," said Vila.

"Even better than I had expected," said Avon. His gaze had never left Vila's.

"Avon…." Vila wanted to discuss it further, but with Ture and Allren there, it wasn't the time. "Never mind."

* * *

"I need a place to hide for a few days," Cally told her young thief friend, Palty. "Preferably someplace out of the way. A place I can escape from quickly if I had to."

"Are you in trouble?" asked Palty.

"It's safer if you didn't know," said Cally.

The others were waiting in an alley nearby, trying to keep out of sight. With no knowledge of who belonged to the rebels or not, it was safer not being more visible.

Palty asked, "How large a place you looking for? If it's just you then there is a couple."

"I need a larger place."

"You've got friends?"

"It's…" Cally hesitated. She remembered Avon's warning about giving out too much information.

"I get it. It's safer if I don't know."

"Yes."

"Right. Let me dump some stuff first and I'll meet you back here in two hours."

* * *

Cally went back to where the others were staying out of sight. She told them what Palty had said.

"Where do we go for two hours?" asked Vila.

"We stay here. And watch," said Avon. "This is a discreet enough place."

"Watch? What's there to watch?" asked Vila.

"You're afraid of a trap?" asked Allren.

"He's always afraid of traps, and conspiracies and people planning things behind his back," Vila told Allren.

"Yes. Vila should also tell you that I have an annoying habit of being right," said Avon acidly.

"Avon. You don't have to worry about Palty. He's helped me before," said Cally. "And other than for a tendency to want to make a profit out of everything, I've found him quite reliable. We can trust him."

"Our current situation does not give us the luxury of trust," said Avon. "We will stay here. And watch."

"Well you can watch. I'm going to make myself comfortable," said Vila. He went further down the secluded alley and found a place to sit.

Ture said to Avon, "I'll keep watch. Why don't you get some rest?"

Avon had been watching Vila walk away. He said, "No. I'll watch. All of you get some rest." The tone of his voice made it clear that he wanted to be left alone.

"Alright," said Ture with a disappointed tone. He and Allren left Avon to his thoughts. Avon turned to look at the commercial avenue again. He leaned tiredly against the wall.

"Avon." Cally had noticed the increased tension between Avon and Vila since she came back. She was not about to leave Avon alone.

"Get some rest, Cally," said Avon as he continued looking out onto the avenue.

"You're tired. You need more rest than any of us."

"Yes, I'm tired," said Avon. There was a tightness in his throat. "That's why I need you to leave me alone."

* * *

Manipulating a human being's physical reactions was simple compared to what Sester normally did as a psychostrategist. That was why he had proven such a gifted torturer once he had applied his mind to it.

He was also a gifted lover. Sester had found that manipulating a woman's physical responses quite easy, even with a woman who was as reluctant as Reya was. He knew all the most sensitive places; knew how to touch her and when. As long as she didn't actively fight him, it was hard for her to resist what he was doing. It was a building of sensations. Sester was very good at it.

He was patient and gentle, not wanting to hurt her. It meant that it took longer but in the end, he got the responses he wanted.

Sester could feel her body reluctantly reacting to the physical pleasure. At times she almost worked with him as he guided her towards a climax. Her reluctance and the challenge of overcoming it excited him as much as her physical responsiveness when she finally was moving in rhythm with him.

Afterwards, when they were finished and their breathing was returning to normal, he smiled and looked down into her eyes.

What he found there shocked him. She was crying. After what they had just shared, this was the last thing he had been expecting.

_What have I done? _thought Sester.

There was nothing pleasurable in what he had done anymore. He realized with horror that there was something he had not considered.

"Reya. Were you and Argus exclusive to each other?" he asked.

Reya couldn't speak. She only nodded. Her mind understood that what she had allowed to happen was out of her commitment to what Argus had asked of her; but her heart would not allow her to escape the guilt. It felt as if she had just betrayed him. She knew that she would never be able to think of Argus again without the pain of her own weakness.

_I should have guessed,_ thought Sester.

"I'm so sorry," said Sester. His voice was filled with remorse. "You should have told me."

For Sester, as for most people, sex was a pleasurable activity between two consenting adults. Exclusivity in it was considered an outmoded concept. It was still practiced but it was no longer that common.

Sester had known that it might be hard for Reya. His mind had already identified all of the difficulties she might have. Compared to their goal, it had seemed worth it. He had tried to make it as easy as possible for her, to help her to find pleasure in the activity.

He felt ill.

When she had recovered enough to speak, Reya said, "It wouldn't have made a difference."

"Yes, it would have. It would have made a difference to me. I would never have asked you to do this. I would have tried to find a different way. I shouldn't have manipulated you. It was my fault."

"That's why I didn't tell you. It was my choice. I knew what I was doing. We both know there was no other way," she told him.

He was taken aback. "You knew I was trying to manipulate you into doing this? And you let me?"

"You were very good. But I didn't need to be manipulated. I already knew this was a possibility the day you set me up as your lover."

Sester looked at her thoughtfully. "You were waiting for me to make a move? You let me do all that work so that you could convince yourself that you didn't have a choice? You used me."

"I'm sorry. I don't normally use people like that. But I couldn't bring myself to do it willingly. I needed you to manipulate me. If I had told you, your conscience would have gotten in the way. "

He touched her face gently. "You did this for him? Allowing yourself to be hurt?"

There were tears in her eyes again. "Yes."

Sester hugged her to his chest.

Reya didn't have to stay. Sester knew this. With her abilities, she could have escaped at any time. But that would have meant leaving him behind and he was part of her commitment to Argus.

_I'm not worth this. You should have left, _thought Sester.

Sester held Reya tightly as she cried. It was the only thing he could do for her.

He was amazed that this was the second time he had run into this kind of relationship. The other had been even more surprising than this one; that had been the connection between Avon and Anna Grant. The breaking of that bond had almost destroyed Avon; he had not wanted to go on without her, despite her treachery. Even after the distance of time, he was still affected by it. That was why Sester had been able to use it against him.

He wondered if he would ever be able to find someone like this too. Sester had to admit that part of him wanted her; wanted someone capable of this kind of love.

_You're a lucky man, Argus. I hope you understood that._


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

"Oh come now, Argus. You are telling me that you, Avon and my wayward psychostrategist saved humanity. With just a single ship?" Servalan asked incredulously.

"Avon has done it before. At Star One," replied Argus.

With Servalan constantly being interrupted by her own people and the slow progress of their cooperation, they had finally gotten to the final details of what happened with the invaders.

Servalan looked thoughtful. She had always known that it was Avon who made the difference for Blake. That is why she had considered him such a valuable asset and such a dangerous foe.

Central Security had discovered that Avon and the Scorpio had entered orbit over Gauda Prime and had been shot down by gun ships intent on catching smugglers running the blockade.

Avon's plan to unite the warlords in order to mass produce and distribute the antidote for Pylene-50 was a bold and well-thought out plan. If Servalan had not stepped in, he would have succeeded. Had he continued to pursue his goals despite the setback with the warlords, he would have neutralized the effectiveness of the pacification drug and seriously set back the Federation's re-expansion plans.

Central Security wanted him dead. Finding out that he was on Gauda Prime gave them the chance to kill him and remove this danger to the Federation.

Blake's group had already been infiltrated. His people had tried to break into the Federation computer system and had immediately been discovered. After that, there was not a move he made which Central Security was not aware of. The plans to destroy his new group were already in progress. The killing of Avon and his crew should have been very easy.

Central Security had not figured on Servalan. Or rather, Commissioner Sleer as she was then. She had been sent as the representative from the Federation High Council to Gauda Prime and was already on the planet when she heard the coded signals to kill Avon and his group. For her, it was also the perfect opportunity. It was a chance to gain both Avon and ORAC. She had planned to use them as tools in her bid to regain the Presidency.

Servalan had rushed to the bounty hunter base with her own personal troops. She had barely been in time. Blake had already been killed. Most of the Scorpio crew lay dead. Her men had arrived just as the Federation troops were in the process of gunning down Avon.

He was barely alive by the time her men had neutralized the Federation soldiers. The only other person to survive was the thief, Vila. Servalan made sure no one else on the base survived to tell what had happened; neither Federation, rebels nor bounty hunters. And she got away with her prize, Avon.

"What are you thinking, Servalan?" asked Argus when she didn't say anything else.

Servalan's attention returned to the present.

She asked, "The invaders were using the three of you to assess their probable success for invading this galaxy?"

"Yes. That is what I said."

"And you were able to escape? And managed to defeat the enemy ships? Without any additional help?"

"Yes." Argus was not about to tell Servalan about Reya. He did not want her in this deadly woman's sights.

"You were able to persuade them that it was too dangerous to invade this galaxy? That is why they left?"

"Yes. We have gone over this already."

"Well, then it seems we owe the three of you a debt of gratitude."

"What are you up to, Servalan?" asked Argus suspiciously. Whenever she acted pleasant, it made him very nervous. Gratitude from her put him instantly on alert.

"Why aren't you questioning what I'm saying?" he asked.

"Should I have a reason to question you?"

"If you had told me this story, I wouldn't have believed it. Why aren't you questioning what I'm saying?" he asked again.

Servalan smiled. "It is because it _is_ such a fantastic story. If you had wanted to lie to me, you would have told a much more believable lie. And besides, it is Avon we are talking about."

"You expect a lot from him."

"Don't you?" she asked.

"Is that why you're hunting him? You want to harness that ability again for yourself?"

"That is none of your concern."

"I think it is."

"Is this the part where you issue a threat and I ignore it?" asked Servalan with a note of sarcasm.

"I would never waste your time by just _issuing_ threats, Servalan." His voice had dropped a tone.

"Be careful, Argus."

"Is it _your_ turn to issue a threat?" It was Argus's turn to sound sarcastic.

"I don't need threats."

"You just kill people. With your charming personality no doubt."

"No. I just employ people like you to kill them for me," said Servalan with a chilling smile.

Argus scowled at the woman on the screen.

He asked, "So where do we go from here, Servalan? Now that the information sharing portion of this exercise is over. Are you finally going to get to the real reason why you have been leading me on?"

"You don't think it was for the information?"

"I think the information was a _minor_ reason. You must have already suspected we had something to do with the invaders leaving. You just needed me to provide the details. But I highly doubt it was the main reason. I think your real reason is still on the planet."

"You think I did this so that I can use you to get to Avon?"

"He has always been your main objective."

"I don't deny that Avon is very important. And I do not deny that I plan to use you. But not in the way that you think. I will get Avon. It is only a matter of time. I don't need _your_ help for that."

"If you think that I'm going to help you, you're dreaming, Servalan."

"I don't think you know yourself very well, Argus."

"And you do?"

"That's what this exercise, as you call it, has been about." She smiled. It was the kind of smile that sent shivers down one's spine.

Argus was not so easily intimidated, though he was feeling uneasy.

Servalan continued, "But before we get to that. There is something else we must deal with."

"Must we?"

"When Sester returned Avon to you, it was on the understanding that you would help fight against the alien incursion into this system." Servalan was very serious now.

"He told you that?" asked Argus.

"He told me his plans. Yes. Though I didn't agree with them at the time," she told him. "It was very presumptuous of him. He went against my orders."

"I'm sure you punished him for that after he helped Avon to escape," said Argus cynically.

Servalan smiled. "Of course. I cannot allow that kind of presumption or disobedience."

"I'm surprised you let him live."

"I do not like to waste a valuable resource. As long as I can control it."

The way that Servalan was looking at him, made Argus uncomfortable. His sense of danger was working overtime. His instinct told him to fight or run. Argus never ran from anything.

Servalan said, "I propose a truce. Until the present crisis with the alien threat is over. This will be an official agreement between us rather than the informal one you had with Sester."

"You will leave Avon alone if we help in fighting the aliens?" asked Argus. This kind of agreement he could live with.

"It is not that kind of agreement," said Servalan. "There will be a cessation of hostilities between us for the duration of the crisis. In return, I expect you and your crew to do what you do best. Find trouble and neutralize it. I will even make certain resources available to you. If you are agreed, of course."

Argus thought for a moment. "I will need to talk to my crew first."

"You are their leader."

"Yes. But there are several of them who would like to see you dead. Avon being one of them. I will not force them to work with you."

She considered this briefly. "Very well. Speaking of Avon."

"Leave him alone, Servalan. Stop trying to pursue him. Or I will make it my personal business to hunt you. And you know that I am very good at it. Your records on me should tell you that."

"They do. But I don't think that you will."

"You don't know me very well then. I have no problems with killing you," Argus said coldly.

"I didn't think that you would. That is what the Federation trained you to be after all. But the reality of the situation is that you are there. Avon is down on the planet. You cannot keep me from taking him. It is only a matter of time before he is found. And unless you confine him to your ship, you will never be able to protect him from me."

Argus was sick of Servalan's games. He hated her for treating Avon's life as something she could toy with. Argus also knew that Servalan had a fascination with Avon though. He knew that she valued him beyond just being a tool she could use.

He said angrily, "You nearly destroyed him the last time, Servalan. He is still trying to recover from what you did to him. How much more do you think you can do before you completely destroy him? Avon tried to kill himself when he came back. Did you want to know that? He could barely function. He preferred death to what you had made him into. He can barely sleep now without the drugs you have made him dependent on. How do you think that makes him feel, to have a daily reminder that you still control his life? If you were here, right now. In front of me. I would kill you myself."

There was such anger and passion in his voice that Servalan smiled. This was the man she was hoping he was. This kind of man, she could use.

"What are you willing to do to keep Avon safe? From me?" she asked him.

* * *

"It's been two hours," Cally said to Avon. He turned around to look down at her.

He had been watching the busy avenue while Cally rested nearby.

"I know," said Avon.

"I should go." She got up and headed towards the street.

"No. Not yet." He reached out with his hand and touched her arm before she could get past him.

Cally stopped and asked with concern, "Did you see something?"

"There has been an increased Federation presence on this avenue in the past hour."

Cally looked past him out onto the street. "I don't see anything."

"You're not supposed to. This is a pattern I am very familiar with. Closing off all access points. The sweeper teams. And now watchers hidden among the populace."

"There is something troubling you."

"Yes. This is what Federation Security normally does when they know who they're looking for. I don't think that all of this activity has been to search for invaders left behind.

"Any indication as to who they're searching for?"

"No. But I think we need to find out."

"You're afraid they're looking for us?" Cally recognized the way his mind was working.

"It is a possibility given that the _Justice_ is orbiting the planet."

"Then what do we do?"

"We need to get off this street as quickly as possible and find somewhere to hide," he told her.

"If you're right and they are looking for us, the moment we step out onto the avenue, we'll be spotted. We can't even contact Palty. He must be waiting for me by now."

Avon thought for a moment. "Do Ture or Allren know what Palty looks like?"

Cally put her hand to her head, "Of course. They wouldn't connect them with us. Ture knows what he looks like. He's contacted Palty before to get medication when Allren was injured."

"Quickly then. We need to get under cover before the curfew."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

There was loud shouting and sounds of fighting coming from the main commercial avenue.

"That's the signal," said Palty. Under Avon's instructions, the young thief had arranged for some of his friends to provide a diversion so they could get out without being seen.

"Let's go," directed Avon. They all quickly exited the alley they had been hiding in and followed Palty.

Avon leaned heavily on the cane as he walked. His whole right side seemed to be sore. It wasn't just his shoulder anymore.

He wished he had been able to take Cally's advice and gotten some rest. It was a good thing he hadn't. None of the others would have recognized the danger they were in. Avon was intimately acquainted with the type of manhunt the Federation Security forces were currently carrying out.

* * *

Their new hideout proved to be a large storage facility not far from the main commercial avenue. It was filled with large furnishings of various shapes and sizes which conformed to the physiology of the user. 

"I've heard of these. They're supposed to be smart furniture," said Vila excitedly as he made himself at home on a large brownish-silver bed.

"Oh." Vila jumped up with a startled yelp when he started sinking into its surface. "It's trying to eat me."

"It may be smart, but I can't say much for its taste," said Avon dryly.

Allren had been trying out one of his own. "This is really comfortable," he remarked. His body was half immersed in one of the beds. "You stop sinking in once it conforms to your body."

"Hmm." Vila tried out his brownish-silver one again. He sighed contentedly. "I could get used to this. I think we could do with some of these on the _Justice_. Those bunks are really uncomfortable."

"Your priorities never cease to amaze me," said Avon as he observed the others trying out the beds.

"Don't knock it," said Vila. "There's nothing more important than a good night's sleep."

Avon stared at Vila for a moment before he walked away. He wouldn't know; he couldn't remember what it was like to have a good night's sleep.

Cally paid the young thief before he left.

"I did good?" he asked.

"Yes. You did. Thank you, Palty. And thank your friends."

"Oh I will. They like fighting anyways. I'll come by with some food tomorrow morning."

"That would be much appreciated. But careful."

"Don't worry. I will."

Before he left, Palty approached Avon. He handed him a small round disk. "Ture said that you wanted one of these."

Avon took it from his hand and studied it. It was a vid-disk normally used by Federation security forces to contain holographic images of targets of interest. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it. It was nothing. See you tomorrow."

* * *

Avon looked at the bio-injector in his hand and then laid it on the table in front of him. There was time for sleep later. He had some things to do first. Reaching into the pocket of his tunic, he pulled out the flat vid-disk which Palty had given him earlier.

Checking that the others were still asleep, he pressed the bottom of the disk. A three dimensional image flickered into view just above the disk.

It was, as he had feared. It was an image of him. He pressed the disk again. Another image appeared. This one was of the psychostrategist, Sester. Further explorations revealed no other images.

Avon was starting to get very annoyed. He was tired of being a target for everyone.

With the _Justice_ in orbit around the planet and Federation ships overhead, it had not been difficult to guess that Servalan would be looking for him. He needed to get off this planet and away from her. He was not going to allow her to take him again.

_I would rather die first._ Avon was not about to give up yet. As long as his mind was still functioning, he would still have a chance.

Avon wondered what was happening with Argus. Since the ship had not been destroyed, Argus was most likely still onboard. He wasn't sure how it was possible but Argus must have found a way to stay alive without giving the Federation what they wanted.

Given the amount of time which had elapsed, the majority of the ship's systems should have been repaired. The _Justice_ was his best chance of surviving. He had to get back onboard. Avon wondered if Argus had tried to contact them already. If he used the comm unit, he would only have contacted Jenna; since it was one of the things she had confiscated from them earlier. Avon doubted if Jenna would risk contacting Argus. If she did, he wondered what kind of story she would have told him.

_I need to fix the teleport bracelets. _

Avon reached into the equipment satchel and pulled out Cally's bracelet which he had been working on earlier. He took out some other tools, laid them on the table in front of him and set to work.

* * *

"Are you alright?" Sester brought over a mug of imitation coffee and handed it to Reya. She was at her normal spot by the window, staring outside into the morning sky.

Reya missed being outside; missed the feel of the wind, the warmth of the sun and the smell of living things around her. Whenever she came back from a mission, she would always spend some time out by the lake at her brother's headquarters. It was her refuge from the artificiality which pervaded their lives.

"Don't worry about me," said Reya as she took the cup. It smelled good and she really needed one this morning. She took a sip of the hot liquid and made a face. "This is worse than field rations."

"Well, it is a Federation facility. I don't think creativity in the culinary arts is an important consideration."

"Are you trying to cheer me up?" she asked.

"Is it working?"

"A little."

"Then. Yes. I am trying to cheer you up." He gave her a slight grin.

"I appreciate the effort. But you don't need to."

After what they had shared the previous night, Reya didn't want to become that close to Sester. She recognized that he had an easy charm that tended to draw people in.

"Yes. I know. You're alright. And I don't need to worry about you. Well, let _me_ worry about that."

"Are you still trying to be funny?"

"Hmm. I guess I'm doing a bad job of _not_ being funny now?"

"Only a little." She gave him a brief smile. It was hard not to be nice to him when he was trying to help her.

"Now who's trying to be funny?"

"Is there any food that comes with this poor excuse for coffee?" she asked him.

"Right this way." He took her hand in his and led her to the table where the breakfast had been laid out.

"It looks like real food. Of course, this looks like real coffee too," remarked Reya as she sat down opposite Sester and put the mug on the table.

"Yes, you would think that if they took the trouble to make it look and smell like real coffee that they would actually go all the way and make it taste like it too."

As they began eating, she asked, "Do you think you can convince them to let me take some exercise outside?"

Sester glanced at one of the security monitors which always observed their activities.

"It should be easier after last night. They have fewer reasons to suspect us now," he told her. "I'll ask Dayto the next time he sends for me."

Reya had noticed his glance and nodded. "How are you getting on with your strategies?"

"Slowly. I don't have a real interest in helping them. I have discovered some interesting things in the information they gave me though," he told her as he tried to bite into a partially burnt piece of toast. There didn't seem to be anything on it.

"Oh?" She watched his attempt with the toast before deciding whether she wanted to try hers.

"I know why they weren't able to gain control after the invaders left. There's another rebel group that opposes this one. It seems that the invaders deliberately left both groups armed."

"How very equal-minded of them," said Reya cynically. She picked up a piece of fruit instead. At least it looked like a piece of fruit. She wasn't quite sure until she bit into it.

"It didn't really matter. The Federation forces arrived soon afterwards. It was quite a large group if their reports are correct. Dayto's people seem to have the upper hand right now. They have the Federation forces convinced that they have always been loyal and that it was the invaders who were making it seem as if everything was fine."

"It's odd that the Federation forces arrived so quickly."

Sester suppressed a smile. Reya didn't seem to need him to point out the salient details.

"Yes. Very odd. Unless they were sent here to check out something else."

"Such as?" she asked. "The fruit's not bad if you're tired of the toast."

"It depends on what story they told to cover up my disappearance."

Sester decided not to tell Reya that he reported to the Federation President directly and that she kept close tabs on him. He put down the offending piece of toast and picked up the fruit.

"Well, at least there's one edible thing," he remarked as he chewed on the fruit. "If they told them the wrong story but still kept up the pretence that everything was still fine, then someone may have gotten suspicious."

_I can guess who that someone is_, thought Sester. _Though calling her suspicious might be too mild._

"I'd say very suspicious. Do they normally do that when you disappear?" she asked.

"I was sent here to check out reports of alien activity," said Sester.

"Whoever sent the Federation forces thought that your disappearance may have indicated that there was alien activity?"

"Very possibly."

_Either that or Servalan is very angry and thought I had escaped her. Though this would be overkill I would think._

"Can you use this to our advantage?" Reya asked.

He smiled. "I've already built it into my strategy for our friend. If we stay long enough for him to implement it that is. But there are some things I can suggest to him which may help us in the meantime. Or at the very least raise some interesting questions in certain quarters."

* * *

"Who is this?" Senior Controller activated the vid-disk in his hand. Dayto was standing in front of his desk, next to Sester. He was watching the psychostrategist's reaction very carefully as the image appeared above the disk.

Sester allowed himself a small response to what he was seeing; a slight widening of the eyes and all other reactions quickly suppressed. He had been expecting this.

Dayto was not disappointed. He had noticed the reaction. He was certain that he would be able to get the information he wanted. Dayto hoped Sester would not cooperate that easily. He preferred that the psychostrategist be difficult. It was much more enjoyable having to apply the various methods of persuasion on him.

Forcing Sester and his lover to become intimate in full view of his security monitors had been immensely satisfying. Seeing the woman crying afterwards had added to the pleasure. Dayto had not expected that reaction from her, considering how tough she had been under interrogation.

"You cannot fool me Sester. You know who this is. I want to know why the Federation is looking for this man. What is his value to them?"

Sester considered his next words carefully. With the _Justice_ in orbit, he had known that it would not take long for Servalan to start looking for Avon. He had no desire to have her find him again. And neither did he want Dayto to find him. Avon would become little more than a bargaining piece in the man's bid for power. Sester rubbed his wrist. It was starting to feel numb. The guards always put the restraints on too tight.

Sester said, "He's the other person who came down in the life capsules. The one you never found. He's a psychostrategist as well."

"They sent two of you?"

"Yes. Sometimes we work in teams."

Dayto contemplated this information, trying to asses whether he believed Sester or not. He pressed the bottom of the vid-disk again. This time the image changed to display Sester.

"You're fortunate. I am inclined to believe you because they appear to be looking for both of you."

"Psychostrategists are considered valuable resources in the Federation," said Sester.

"Yes. Well, at the moment you haven't proven very valuable yet. Though you have been intermittently entertaining. Especially last night."

If a glare had the destructive power of a plasma pistol, Dayto would have been dead. Sester was not normally a violent man; but he was considering something which would definitely qualify as violent.

"She really is shy isn't she?" said Dayto. He was still trying to bait Sester, trying to get him to lose control and react in anger. "I would never have thought it of her. But once she gets going… I wouldn't mind giving her a try myself."

"Don't you dare!" said Sester angrily as he lunged towards the senior controller. Dayto had been anticipating this reaction and punched him, knocking him down. Sester fell to the floor. Dayto put his boot against Sester's neck and pressed down, pinning him where he had fallen. He smiled cruelly and increased the pressure on the psychostrategist's neck, making it difficult for him to breathe.

"I can do whatever I want psychostrategist. Don't forget that. If you try that again, it won't be you who suffers, it will be her. Do you understand?"

Sester gasped out an angry, "Yes."

Dayto removed the pressure. He ordered, "Get up."

Sester struggled to his feet and glared at the controller. He rubbed his neck but stayed silent. It had been a painful way to convince this fool that he could easily be manipulated. Dayto only seemed to understand and trust the application of force.

Dayto didn't like the superior attitude and controlled arrogance of psychostrategists. He really hated Sester. If they had not had the fortune of also capturing his lover, Dayto doubted if they could have forced him to help them so soon.

As it was, Dayto knew that without Reya, they probably couldn't control him. The last thing he needed was to deal with another difficult psychostrategist. At least with Sester, as long as Reya was their prisoner, Dayto had power over him. He did want to know about this new psychostrategist though. It could be information that may prove useful when dealing with his temporary Federation masters.

"Sit down," ordered Dayto.

Sester sat down again.

"Tell me what the other psychostrategist's name is."

When he spoke, Sester's voice contained a tight anger. "Drel Argus."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

Jenna had woken up angry. And she had a headache. The drugs which Avon had Cally administer had put them all out until the next morning. There was no way to track Avon now.

She was not about to give up though. Tancit had contacted his main group and was going to arrange some additional help.

_You're not going to get away that easily, Avon._

Jenna picked up the comm unit which she had taken from the others. She regretted that they were now in conflict. She had never intended for it to get this far but this had been building for along time. Jenna hoped that they would understand eventually.

After Avon had been rescued from Servalan, Jenna had stayed away from him. As it was, just seeing him everyday made it difficult for her. Each time she saw him, she remembered Blake. The feelings of anger and guilt which she thought she had gotten over, had begun to surface again the moment Avon came onboard.

While the others tried their best to help Avon, she hadn't. The others had been so preoccupied with Avon that they didn't even notice her lack of participation. Their sympathy for the man who killed Blake had increasingly filled her with anger.

She was returning to the state she had been in when Argus first accepted her into his group. Jenna had been so blinded by hatred and guilt that everyone else shunned her and refused to help her in her quest for vengeance. Argus had wanted to give her a chance.

He forced her to see that her actions were only hurting herself and those around her and that if she was going to stay in his group, she had to get past her obsession. Argus had tried to help her by keeping her busy. It had worked for awhile.

Until Avon came back.

Being on this planet and seeing Avon almost helpless and without Argus to get in the way, Jenna had seized the opportunity.

_You fooled us all, Avon. Lulling us into thinking you were helpless. You were never helpless, were you? With your devious and ruthless mind. How could you be? _

_Blake trusted you. You made him trust you. You made him think you were his friend. And now he's dead. Blake should have only trusted me. _

_You hunted him down and killed him, Avon. Now I am going to hunt you down and make you pay. I am going to make you scream. I am going to make you sorry that you betrayed the only good man. _

_I should never have left you, Blake. But I'm going to make it up to you by killing the man who betrayed you. Who betrayed all of us.

* * *

_

Argus paced the flight deck like a caged panther. He was normally a still man; a man not given to nervous movements. But he had been pacing for the past hour.

Argus wasn't nervous, he was angry. He was trying to convince himself that he was attempting to make a difficult decision. The truth was that he had already made his decision; had already made it when Servalan first offered him the deal.

He was trying to come to terms with his own decision.

_Damn you, Servalan! I played right into your hands. _

He wanted to kill her.

_If you break any of the terms. I will kill you, Servalan. I promise you that. Agreement or no agreement._

Argus took a deep breath. His life was already burdened by a heavy debt of guilt. He was a man who longed for peace; he doubted if he would ever find it again.

_Reya, I wish you were here. I need you._

He wasn't sure why he was doing this for a man he had only known for a short while. Argus only knew that he had to.

"Zen, initiate contact with Servalan's ship. I want the log coded under my own personal security access."

"Confirmed."

Servalan immediately appeared on the main viewscreen. She was wearing a simple, elegant white gown and had a radiant smile on her face.

"Commander Argus." Her voice sounded as if she had won a great victory.

"Don't be so pleased yet, Servalan. If you break this agreement, I will kill you."

"I don't doubt it."

Argus took a deep breath again. There was no turning back.

"Very well. You have an agreement," he told her.

He felt ill.

* * *

Cally sighed as she looked down at Avon. He had obviously fallen asleep while working on her teleport bracelet. That also meant that he had not used the drugs. He was moving restlessly in reaction to whatever nightmare was filling his mind.

She put her hand on his shoulder and shook him gently.

"Avon. Wake up."

Avon instantly straightened up and backed away from her. For a moment, Cally wasn't sure he recognized her. Then he asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. You fell asleep. You were having a nightmare."

Avon grimaced. His back hurt from moving too quickly. He rubbed his sore right shoulder. Other parts of his anatomy also seemed to be hurting. Most likely a result of sleeping in an awkward position. He was tired.

"Does your shoulder hurt?" asked Cally with concern. "I've been noticing you rubbing it lately. Let me take a look at it."

Avon nodded. She helped him take his jacket off and began feeling along his neck and shoulder area.

"You're very tense. The muscles are tight. It's probably a result of the use of the cane. Does your whole right side hurt?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Unfortunately we don't have a muscle relaxant in our supply of drugs."

"I knew I had forgotten something," said Avon with light sarcasm.

"I can give you something for the pain. How would you like a massage to work out the tension?"

"Do I have a choice?" he asked in jest.

"You could suffer in silence," suggested Cally.

"That doesn't sound very appealing."

"Let's get that shirt off then."

As Avon removed his shirt, Cally could see some of the residual scars left by the years of torture. The medical equipment on the ship had been able to remove most of the marks but not all.

Cally touched one of the scars, tracing it lightly. "Do any of these still hurt?" she asked.

Avon turned to look at her. He removed her hand from where she had been touching him. "Don't do that, Cally."

"I'm not Anna Grant," she told him.

He reacted in surprise and let go of her hand. "I know."

"And neither was she."

Avon's jaw tightened. "No she wasn't."

"I've been waiting along time, Avon."

There was a pause. Then he said, "I know."

"Why did you come and rescue me? Why did you let this happen to you?" She reached out to touch one of his scars.

He stopped her. "It's not the time."

"Will it ever be?" she asked.

"I don't know," he told her.

This was not what Cally wanted to hear.

"At least you're honest," she said.

"Will you wait?" he asked her. The words came out before he realized what he was saying.

"I don't know."

"Well, at least we're both honest," said Avon.

"But are we both fools?" asked Cally.

"That remains to be seen. I think you had better just give me something for the pain," he told her. Avon put his shirt back on.

* * *

Argus sat at the teleport controls. He activated the comm.

"Avon. This is Argus. Respond only if you are ready for teleport."

He waited for an answer.

Even though he had an agreement with Servalan now, Argus still didn't trust her. He needed to contact the crew himself and he was not about to let Servalan know where they were.

"Avon. Jenna. Vila. Cally. Respond if you are ready for teleport."

There was still no response.

_Either Avon has not fixed the teleport bracelets yet or they're not in a position to use them._

There was one other possibility. For some reason, Avon and the others had not connected. That meant that Avon was on the run since Servalan was still looking for him.

Argus activated the comm for the flight deck.

"Zen, do you still have the frequencies for the multiple relay channels Jenna used to contact us before?"

"Confirmed. The frequencies were retained."

"Good. I want you to send my communication along those channels when I contact Jenna."

"Confirmed. Communication lines open."

"Jenna, this is Argus. Respond."

Argus listened for an answering response.

"Jenna, this is Argus. Please respond."

There was still no answer.

"Zen, boost the range of the signal."

"Confirmed."

"Jenna. Cally. Vila. This is Argus. Respond."

He was answered with silence.

_Damn. What is going on down there?_

It looked as if he had no choice except to wait for Servalan to find Avon. It would be the ultimate test of whether she would honour their agreement and let Avon go once she found him.

There was no way that he was going to leave the ship even if he could figure out a way to activate the teleport remotely. He doubted if Servalan would be able to resist the temptation if he left it.

_Must ask Avon if he can rig that up when he gets back. I still need to find the others though_.

* * *

"What do you want now, Servalan?" Argus asked with irritation.

"Now. Now. Argus. Is that the way to start our new relationship?" asked Servalan with deceptive sweetness.

"Don't flatter yourself. Our arrangement does not require me to treat you as anything other than a devious snake."

"Such flattery."

"Stop wasting my time and get to the point," he said gruffly.

"You're angry," she noted.

"I don't see where that's your concern."

"The decision was yours to make. And you are getting what you want."

"And you're getting what you want. Though I still don't understand why you would be willing to let Avon go."

"You still don't trust me?"

"Never."

"I do have my reasons. But as you said, they are none of your concern."

"_Personal_ reasons?" Argus asked, trying to push her.

"As I said, the matter does not concern you."

Argus nodded thoughtfully.

"What do you want, Servalan?" he asked.

"You're a cautious man. You tried to contact Avon and the others without revealing where they are."

_Yes. I knew you would be monitoring those._

"I don't trust you," he told her.

"That doesn't make for a good working relationship."

"We don't have a relationship, Servalan. Just a program of useful hatred." Argus was tired.

She studied him across the distance separated by their screens.

"I will find Avon for you. And I will deliver him in good working order. Then you will start doing what you agreed to," she told him.

"He's not a machine, Servalan." His said angrily.

"You're right. He's not."

* * *

The guards returned Sester to the cell which masqueraded as a living quarters. They removed the restraints and pushed him inside.

Reya was standing by the window again. This time she had a datapad and a stylus in her hand and was busy writing something. She turned around as he entered the room.

"What would you do if there wasn't a window in this room?" Sester asked as he came up to her. He looked down at the datapad she was holding. It was a drawing of the view outside the window.

He reached for the datapad, "May I?" She let him take it from her hands.

Sester studied it for moment. It wasn't a simple picture. With just a few lines, she had been able to convey the beauty of the natural surroundings and at the same time it also evoked a feeling of sadness.

"This is beautiful," he told her.

"I was bored."

He gave it back to her and then put his arms around her. For a moment they kissed each other.

"I'm sorry. But we have to keep this up," he expressed his apology when he pulled back.

"Its fine," she reassured him.

_Its not fine_, thought Sester. He really hated that they had to continue doing this.

"Let's talk about something else," she told him. Reya noticed the mark on his neck. "What happened?"

"What do you mean?" he asked her.

"There's a bruise on your neck. It wasn't there before you left the room."

Sester put his hand to where it was still sore.

"Oh that. It's nothing. I had a slight disagreement with the management," he said jokingly.

"Don't joke about it. They're hurting you."

"I can take care of myself," he told her.

"I think you've been around me too long," she remarked.

He changed the subject. "Dayto has agreed to give you an hour outside each day."

"Good. Hopefully we can get out of here soon," said Reya.

"Yes. We have to escape. I've found out that the Federation troops are looking for Avon."

"That's not good."

"No it's not. It means that Servalan knows he's here."

For the next few days, Reya gathered information and made preparations for their escape while Sester continued stalling with Dayto. At night, Sester taught her to enjoy the pleasure of each other's bodies.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

Reya was still sleeping in Sester's arms when they woke up the next morning. She had never done that before. Her body was warm against his.

_You're beautiful. _Sester touched her face gently. She opened her eyes and saw him looking at her.

There was a question in her eyes.

"No. There's nothing wrong," he told her. He wasn't about to tell her what he was really thinking.

Reya rolled away from him and got up. She was always an early riser. It was a habit of being in the military most of her life. He watched her as she pulled on a robe and headed to the bathing facilities. Sester wanted to touch her again but he understood that she would not accept that from him during the day.

He sighed. The memory of Argus was something he knew that she would never be free from; not that he wanted her to forget him. He knew that she still cried during the night when she thought that he was asleep. Until then he could almost convince himself that the pleasure he gave her was something she needed. But it was a lie; it was something she did because she had to.

Sester got up.

Reya looked at him in astonishment when she came back into the room. Unlike her, Sester was not an early riser. He preferred waking up at a more humane hour.

"You've got something to do this early?" she asked.

"No. You must be rubbing off on me," he told her as he stretched. "I thought I might join you in doing some exercises."

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Are you used to doing exercises?" From their activities during the night, she was aware of his physical fitness level.

"I've been known to do them."

"Do psychostrategists always find it necessary to be evasive?" she asked.

"Only when we don't want to be embarrassed," he admitted wryly.

"You have nothing to be embarrassed about."

He took her hand and pulled her to him; his arms wrapped around her and he pressed their bodies together. He said teasingly, "Really?"

"Men. Is that all you ever think about?"

"Not all. But it is fun."

"You're incorrigible."

"Don't tell me that you don't enjoy it as well."

Reya looked away from him. "I try not to." Her face abruptly changed and became blank.

Sester suddenly felt guilty. He felt so comfortable relating with her now that it was easy to forget.

"I'm sorry." He let go of her.

"We're getting out of here today," she told him.

He looked at her sharply. "You didn't say that before."

"There's no point in waiting. A few more days won't make a difference. I have all the information I need."

"When did you make this decision?" Sester asked.

"This morning." _Just now._

"Do I have a say in this?"

"You could stay here," she told him.

Reya did not want to tell him that their interaction this morning troubled her. She was becoming more comfortable with Sester and it scared her. His charm was becoming harder to resist. As usual, when she felt vulnerable, Reya tended to go on the offensive.

"Well, if you put it that way. I wouldn't want you to face the danger on your own," he told her.

Sester recognized that she was trying to put walls up between them. He knew her well enough by now to know that she was feeling vulnerable and emotionally exposed. Her tendency in this situation was to become aggressive and to take proactive action.

He also knew that her rigid sense of duty would never allow her to risk someone else's life due to personal considerations. In that, she and Argus were very much alike. Sester trusted her in this.

He wondered why she was feeling vulnerable. Part of him thought he knew; the other part told him that he was fooling himself. Becoming emotionally involved was always death for a psychostrategist's objectivity.

"Get dressed. I'll tell you my plans over breakfast," said Reya.

* * *

Jenna sat staring at the comm unit on the table. She had heard Argus attempting to contact her several days ago; heard and did nothing.

_I'm sorry, Argus. You're a good friend. But you would try to stop me and I can't let you do that._

"Jenna." Tancit rushed into the room excitedly. "There's a lead on Avon."

_Another lead. How many does that make in the last two days?_

Jenna didn't care how many. As long as one of them led to Avon. She picked up her weapon and followed Tancit out.

* * *

Avon felt much better. Most of the aches had dulled to a barely noticeable level. Rest tended to do that and staying off his feet. Cally had insisted on it. She had become very stubborn about his physical well-being.

It was much safer lying low for awhile and the storage facility was proving to be a secure location. This was the first good opportunity Avon had to recover from the stress and exertions since arriving on this planet. He was also aware that his survival might depend on being less physically disabled. As a result, Avon had relented.

Between bouts of Cally-supervised rest, he was able to work on the teleport bracelets. Even then she had insisted that he keep his leg supported, which he felt was a bit much.

He preferred it when she was not so stubborn about helping him. Avon suspected it had something to do with the exchange which had occurred between them before. He knew it had been a mistake to allow that level of closeness between them, regardless of how limited it had been. Sentimentality always made things more complicated than they should be.

Cally was examining Avon's knee carefully as he lay on one of the beds.

"Are you satisfied?" Avon asked.

"There doesn't appear to be any damage," she said in an astonished tone. Avon had never allowed her to study it this closely before. It seemed more efficient in the long run to allow her to satisfy her doubts rather than getting into an argument.

"I did tell you there would be none. The disability is solely caused by the implant."

"It's inhuman to create such a device just to simulate an injury which does not exist."

"It is all too human," remarked Avon dryly. "Is there any other curiosity you wish to satisfy? I would like to continue the work on the teleport bracelets."

"Are you almost finished with them?" asked Cally.

Avon sat up and slid off the bed. He went back to the table where he had been working. Cally followed.

He replied, "Not yet. I've had to improvise some parts. If it doesn't work, we may need to make another trip to the shop where we picked up the diffuser crystal."

Avon sat down, picked up Cally's teleport bracelet and studied the changes he had made in order to make up for the defective parts.

"We can send Ture or Allren," she suggested.

"I'm not sure if it would be safe to send them now. Jenna and her group know what they look like and can follow them back here."

"We can wait until Palty gets back. He can go."

"Unfortunately, your young thief friend won't know what to look for and the shopkeeper will not deal with someone who doesn't."

"Then how do we get the parts?"

"I'm thinking." Avon started working on the bracelet again while Cally watched. He glanced at her briefly. She was being quiet and helpful again. As he worked, part of Avon's mind was also busy trying to process the complexity of their dynamic.

_Why are you going to all this trouble? Is it because of what happened before? _

Avon wasn't sure what had happened.

_Why have you always taken an interest in me, in my work? I have never encouraged it._

When she had touched the marks on his body, the scars Servalan had given him; it had made him feel uncomfortable. The gentleness of her touch had seemed to promise something more and suddenly it had evoked feelings of fear.

_It wasn't you, Cally. It was me._

When Cally touched him, it was as if he could feel someone else's hands. An enemy's hands.

_The last person who touched me that way was Servalan._

Avon's stomach twisted in pain, anger and humiliation. He tried not to grimace but didn't succeed.

Cally asked immediately, "Are you alright?"

Cally had been vaguely aware of an increasing tide of emotions from Avon. It seemed incongruous with his actions of fixing the teleport bracelets. There was no outward display of emotions until she had noticed the grimace.

_I must maintain tighter control over my own thoughts around you_, thought Avon. _I reveal too much to your ability._

Without looking up from what he was doing, he said, "Thank you."

Cally was surprised at his words. "For what?"

"For insisting that I get some rest. I did need it. I have a tendency to ignore physical needs when I'm focused on a task."

_You have a tendency to ignore many things_, thought Cally.

She said, "You're welcome. You haven't answered my question."

Avon had been hoping to deflect her attention. _When did you become so persistent?_

"It is nothing to be concerned about. Just one of the benefits of having the implant," he said sarcastically.

"Don't joke about it," said Cally.

"Believe me, I find very little about it which is amusing. But as there is nothing that can be done, there is no benefit in discussing it." The tone in Avon's voice indicated he would not discuss it any further.

Cally decided not to pursue it. There would be other times.

They sat together companionably while Avon continued working and Cally assisted. She was intelligent and surprised him at times; she always seemed to know what instrument or tool he would need next before he even asked. If he didn't know any better, he would think she was able to read his mind.

After awhile Cally said, "Avon."

"Hmm?"

"How about a disguise? Ture or Allren can use a disguise."

Avon looked up at her. It was an excellent suggestion. People who used their intelligence always made things much easier.

"That's a good idea," he told Cally. "If these modifications are not successful, it's always good to have an alternative. Can you arrange with Palty for the disguise? I will let Ture and Allren know what I need."

* * *

"I am not going out like this," said Allren indignantly. He was currently dressed like an old woman complete with a flowery dress, large brooch which contained what looked like a miniature garden and a floppy hat with more flowers around the brim. Flowers appeared to be the in-fashion among the older set on Papos.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better. I'm sure no one would be interested in you. At all," said Vila with a critical eye. He was trying not to laugh.

"Why can't Ture do this?" Allren said.

"I did offer," said Ture. "But the dress doesn't fit me."

"What he's saying is that you have a better figure," said Vila. He could barely contain himself now.

Allren scowled at him. "I don't find that funny, Vila."

At that, Vila burst out laughing. This set Ture off as well.

Avon looked on with amusement. "You're clear on what you need to get?" he asked Allren.

"Yes," replied Allren, pointedly ignoring the laughter. He adjusted the dress over his hips. This resulted in more laughter from the others.

"Ignore them," said Avon. He handed Allren the coat which went with the outfit.

"I plan to." Allren put the coat on.

"You look passable," said Avon as he studied the disguise. He hadn't been sure of its effectiveness until the coat had been added.

"Thanks. At least some people appreciate it."

With great effort, Vila and Ture managed to stop laughing, although there were still big grins on their faces.

Cally came over after talking to the young thief. "Palty is going to take you to the shop."

"Alright. I guess I'm ready," said Allren.

"Good luck," she told him.

"Be careful," said Avon.

Allren nodded and followed Palty out.

* * *

"That's very interesting, Commander Tau," said Servalan.

"I thought you might find it so, Madame President." The Space Commander was the commanding officer in charge of the assault units currently on the planet. He was an efficient and capable man; and who had the occasional flash of insight.

He continued, "The senior controller thought he was being clever by knowing who the other man in the target profile was."

"Thank you, Space Commander. I will take it from here. Do not let the senior controller know. We want it to be a surprise for him." There was an unpleasant smile on her face. She had little time for people who thought they were cleverer than they were. Dayto definitely qualified as one of those.

"Yes. Madame President," Tau acknowledged.

Servalan cut the connection and pressed another button. Her aide appeared on the screen, "Corry, find me senior agent Gorman. I want to speak to him immediately."

"Yes, Madame President."

None of the troops had been told the identity of the two men they were searching for. The only one who knew was the Space Commander and the select team of agents sent from Central Security.

That the Senior Controller knew who Sester was, was not surprising. Sester had been sent there officially after all. If the man had been able to identify Avon, that would have been clever of him. It would mean that he had contacts and sources of information which would make him a useful man.

Servalan laughed. "Drel Argus."

The senior controller was a fool. Or rather, he had run foul of a man who was infinitely cleverer than he was. Her wayward psychostrategist.

* * *

After Servalan finished directing Gorman to make preparations, Gorman said, "You might be interested to know that we have found someone who may be helpful in your search for Kerr Avon, Madame President."

"Oh?" Servalan was instantly interested. "And who may this helpful person be?"


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

"I'm getting very impatient, _psychostrategist_. I have given you more than enough time to produce some results."

Dayto had summoned Sester to his office again.

"I thought you might be," said Sester. He didn't sound very concerned.

"I expect to hear something useful today," Dayto said menacingly.

Sester thought_, It's a good thing for you that I'm escaping today. Though it may have been amusing seeing you try to use the strategy I've devised for you._

Sester wondered if Dayto had used the information he had given him. Given the senior controller's nature, he wouldn't be surprised if he did. The man was predictable in his use of every advantage. He couldn't help himself. If he had, it wouldn't take long for the information to filter back to Servalan. Then the fun could begin.

A siren sounded outside.

Dayto hit the comm button on his desk. "What's going on?" he asked the security duty officer.

"The female prisoner Reya has escaped, sir," the duty officer reported.

Dayto looked sharply at Sester. He gestured the guards over. They positioned themselves on either side of Sester.

"When did she escape?" Dayto asked.

"We're not sure."

"What do you mean, you're not sure?" he said angrily.

"She was taking her exercise outside and she disappeared. It wasn't discovered immediately."

Dayto was livid. This kind of incompetence was inexcusable.

Sester heard the door slide open behind him. There were two phase pistol blasts. The two guards collapsed to the ground.

Dayto's eyes widened in surprise. He immediately reached for something under his desk. Sester didn't know whether it was a secret panic button or a weapon but he was ready. Reya had briefed him well. The moment he heard the weapons fire he was on the move. He lunged forward and hit Dayto square in the chest, knocking him backwards and away from whatever he had been reaching for. Sester rolled to the side to give Reya a clear aim.

It all happened in the space of a few seconds. The door slid closed. The alarm was still sounding.

"I wouldn't move, if I were you Senior Controller. I'm a perfect shot from this distance," Reya's voice was cold and professional.

Dayto had been trying to reach forward again. He froze.

"Actually she's a perfect shot from any distance," remarked Sester as he stood up.

"Hello dear," he said to her with a smile.

"Well, not every distance. I'm sure there are a few where I do miss occasionally. Nicely done by the way," she told him.

"I have my moments," said Sester modestly.

"We'll make a soldier of you yet."

"And have to wake up as early as you do? No thanks."

"Wimp." There was a slight grin on her face.

Sester checked the pockets of the guards and released himself from the restraints.

While he did this Reya said, "Now Senior Controller, I want you to direct your people to turn off the alert and report that I have been apprehended. One wrong word and you will never be leaving this facility again."

"You don't dare kill me. You need me alive to get you out of this complex," said Dayto.

"Need? Not really. It will just be less messy. I do hate gratuitous killing. But as you have just seen, I am very good at it. Now. If you please." She gestured to the comm panel on his desk.

Dayto activated the comm and did as directed. The alarm was silenced.

"Very good. You get to live a little longer," she told him.

"You're very scary like this, you know," said Sester with admiration.

"Stop flirting with me. I'm still working."

Sester grinned.

"Your next task is to arrange transport for us out of this facility," she told Dayto.

"You're not getting out of this complex alive," he told her angrily.

"Considering how easy it was for me to neutralize your guards, do you _think_ that threat has any credibility? Now arrange transport or you will be the one who is not getting out of this complex alive.

She raised her pistol to his head. "Don't make me repeat it again."

Dayto did as directed.

**********

"The assault troops are in position, Madame President," reported senior agent Gorman. "They should be entering the complex within the minute."

"Make sure my psychostrategist is not harmed. I would be very annoyed if I had to replace him," said Servalan.

"Of course, Madame President. You have my guarantee."

"I will hold you to it."

**********

There was heavy banging on the door of the storage facility. They recognized the pre-arranged sequence.

"That's Allren," said Ture as he activated the door panel and opened the door.

Allren, in his old woman disguise, rushed in.

"We have to get out of here!" he told them. "I saw Jenna. She's on her way here! There's a group of people with her."

"Vila, take ORAC," directed Avon.

"I hope ORAC appreciates this when you finally fix it," grumbled Vila. He took hold of the case and began sliding ORAC into it.

There was a rush of motion as they all packed up and got ready to go.

"It's a computer, Vila. It has no feelings. Though programming some appropriate responses into it might be amusing," said Avon as he put in the last of the tools he had been using into the equipment satchel and closed it up.

"You mean, like Slave?" asked Vila. He shouldered the case with ORAC in it.

Avon handed the satchel to Ture who was standing nearby to take it. "Maybe not that amusing. Sycophancy can get annoying after awhile."

Checking that they were already, Avon headed towards the exit.

"Let's go," said Avon when they were all ready. He drew his hand gun with one hand and gripped the cane in the other. He led the way. The others also readied their weapons and followed him out.

**********

Sester got into the driver's seat while Reya held their prisoner in the back.

"Drive at a normal speed. We don't want to raise any suspicions," Reya told Sester.

"Right." Sester set the controls for direction and speed and guided them forward.

He was now wearing the uniform of the driver who had come with the Dayto's personal vehicle. The driver had been knocked out and was currently tied up in Dayto's office.

As they approached the exit, there seemed to be a line up at the gated energy barrier.

One of the guards at the gate recognized Dayto's personal transport and came over. Reya held her phase pistol against Dayto's side so that the approaching guard would not be able to see it.

"Find out what's going on. Don't do anything suspicious," she told him. "Remember, we don't really need you alive. But I would like to avoid bloodshed if possible."

Dayto nodded.

The guard said, "Sir."

"What's going on?" asked Dayto.

"Not sure, sir. There's a hold up of some kind on the other side of the barrier."

"I can see that. What's the hold up?"

"I don't know, sir."

"Well find out! Before I have you down-graded and sent to a labour colony," said Dayto angrily.

The guard almost visibly shrank under Dayto's anger. "Yes, sir. Right away, sir."

The guard went off.

"I don't think much of your people," remarked Reya.

Dayto glared at her. "Someone's head is going to roll," he said under his breath.

Without warning the barrier ahead of them exploded. Weapons fire could be heard. They could see black uniformed Federation soldiers streaming across the barrier. More explosions could be heard. These ones from other directions.

"Sester. Back up. Get us out of here," said Reya. Her voice was controlled and calm.

"It appears your little rebellion has been discovered," Sester said to Dayto as he maneuvered the vehicle around. "It was only a matter of time."

"Did you have something to do with this?" asked Dayto angrily.

"Now why would you say that?" asked Sester innocently. "What could I possibly do? You had me locked up, remember?"

"I think it's in all of our best interests to get out of this complex. You know this place. Where is the best place to go?" Reya asked Dayto.

Dayto looked at the both of them suspiciously, "Why would you want to get away from them? Aren't you both Federation?"

Reya looked towards Sester but he said nothing.

She wondered what he was thinking. _Are you returning to the Federation after this? It would be simple for you to go back now. Have your loyalties changed? Are you saying nothing because of me? _

She had been afraid of her increasing comfort level with this man. But the thing which scared her even more was the awareness that the feelings were reciprocated. It had been one of the reasons she had decided to take action now. She could not afford to spend another night with him.

Reya said, "In battle, weapons fire doesn't necessarily differentiate between friend and foe. Especially if they don't know we're here, I'd rather not take that chance. So can you get us out?"

Dayto saw the logic of the option she was presenting him. Anything was better than the alternative. He helped them all to escape.

**********

"Did you know that Jenna Stannis is hunting for Avon?" Servalan asked Argus.

"You mean she's _looking_ for Avon?" asked Argus.

"No. I mean hunting. Like a predator to a prey."

"I think you're describing yourself, not Jenna," said Argus sarcastically.

"Not at all. She does it with infinitely less class."

"What is your agenda here, Servalan?"

"Jenna has been very indiscreet. There have been some irregularities in the activities on the planet which my security people have been investigating. In the course of those investigations they have identified several suspicious groups. You may understand my surprise when I discovered Jenna Stannis was with one of those groups. They have been very active; which was why they were spotted so quickly."

"I asked her to look for Avon. She must have found some help. That's not surprising."

"I don't think she has the same motivations for looking for Avon as you have."

"You must be mistaken."

"One of my security people found an obliging citizen in her group. He told us many interesting things. Including Jenna Stannis looking to avenge Blake's death. She has had their group busy looking for Avon for the last few days."

Argus said, "Why are you doing this, Servalan? Do you think you can turn me against my own people? Is there any useful reason for sowing paranoia and suspicion? What purpose does this serve if you want us to help in fighting the aliens?"

"None at all." She stared at him. "You may not want to believe it, Argus but it does not change the facts."

"_Your_ facts." Something was beginning to nag at Argus. The beginnings of doubt.

_Did you never get over your obsession to kill Avon, Jenna? Did you only bury it until you could get the opportunity?_

Now that he was thinking about it, Argus realized Jenna had been the only member of the crew who had not shown any interest in helping Avon when he came back. She had deliberately stayed away from him.

Servalan said, "The _fact_ is. You should trust no one. Unless you can control them. It makes for fewer unpleasant surprises."

"I am not like you, Servalan," said Argus. "Tasteless megalomania does not appeal to me."

"Are you always this stubborn? I'm only trying to help you become a better leader."

"I could do without your kind of help. Stop trying to make me like you, Servalan. If I had to control my own people in order to have them follow me, then I really would be no better than you."

"You're an idealist, Argus."

"It's better than being a ruthless, bloodthirsty tyrant."

"You must stop flattering me."

"It really is useless trying to insult you."

"You already suspect that what I am saying about Jenna may be true, don't you?" asked Servalan.

Argus was silent. She was right. It was disconcerting that Servalan seemed to be able to read him so well.

"Assuming that it is true, why are you telling me? You must have a reason."

"My people are following Jenna's group. If she finds Avon first, we will not be far behind. I will protect Avon on the planet. You will protect him once I give him back to you."

Argus looked at her suspiciously, "What are you getting at Servalan? And stop trying to treat Avon as if he was an object."

"You will not allow Jenna back on your ship."

"You cannot order me."

"On the contrary. You already know I can. If you don't then I will keep Avon and our agreement is terminated."

"You wouldn't do that. It would not serve your purposes. You need Avon on the _Justice_ in order to deal with the alien incursion. He would never work with you directly."

"I have many purposes. It would only require me to readjust my priorities. I am not asking you to do anything which is against your conscience. You must recognize that it is too dangerous for Avon if Jenna is allowed access to him."

Argus thought this over. Servalan did have a point but he had to find out for himself. He had to give Jenna a chance.

"I will keep Avon safe and I will deal with Jenna. If it does prove too dangerous to have her onboard then I will personally convey her to a safe neutral planet. But I will make that decision. Not you."

"You _are_ stubborn. Very well. I trust you will make sure that this will not be a short agreement?"

"I told you, I will keep Avon safe."

"I don't doubt that. It is good to know that all of that Federation training will be used for our purposes again. But one day your belief in people will get you killed, Argus. Make sure it will not get Avon killed."

Argus scowled at the woman on the screen.

"Make sure that you keep your end of the bargain, Servalan. I expect Avon returned once you find him. And I will not do anything for you until you do."

"Of course." _After all I have to persuade you to trust me if I'm going to use you effectively. And after the threat is over then it will be the time for Avon._


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

Avon, Cally, Ture and Allren were making their way along the corridor leading away from the storage facility. Their speed was determined by Avon's ability to move.

They heard noises up ahead. Avon held up a hand.

"Quick. Back the way we came. We'll take the other corridor."

They went back and turned down the alternate corridor. Halfway down, they heard more people approaching.

"We're running out of corridors," said Vila.

There were several storage facility doors along the corridor. Avon asked, "Vila, can you open this one?"

"I can open anything if I'm motivated enough."

"Is fear a sufficient motivator? If you don't open it we'll be trapped."

"That's always the best one," said Vila as he set to work on the lock.

In short order it was open.

"Well done, Vila. Everyone inside." Once in, they all stood silently waiting and listening. There were nervous looks all around. Sounds of footsteps rushed past and then disappeared down the corridor from where they had come.

They waited a few moments then exited the room and continued down the corridor. At the junction, they turned right to exit the storage facility and ran straight into Jenna and a group of the rebels.

Both sides raised their weapons at each other. The tension was high.

"You won't get away this time, Avon," said Jenna.

Avon did not believe that Jenna had any intention of hurting those who were her friends. That was her weakness. Her actions here were little more than a bluff.

Unless she had changed.

_Are you so blinded by your hatred now that you would risk harming your friends to get to me? Can I take that chance? That's what you expect of me, don't you Jenna? The ultimate selfish man. You never did understand me._

Avon looked around at his companions. They had ranged themselves between Jenna and himself.

_Why must it always come down to this decision? Perhaps it would be easier for it all to be over. No one to hunt me as if I'm some kind of animal. No one to use me. No more decisions of life and death._

In the last few months at the Detention Centre, he had been a man on the verge of no longer wanting to live and now he was suddenly very tired. Avon thought that once he escaped that he would have a reason to live again. But he was even now nothing more than a pawn for others. The only difference was that his cell was now larger.

The part of him which was still the old Avon, wanted to fight. But this fight took on a different form. Avon hated that his life would be for nothing. He would not have his last act be the testament of a man who killed his friends.

_I cannot risk their lives. I refuse to._

"You will not kill me unless I allow you to. The others won't let you," said Avon.

"That's right," said Cally. "We won't."

He stepped forward so that none of the others was blocking him. Avon faced his gun towards the ground. "I will tell you now. There is nothing you can do to persuade me to fix ORAC for you."

Vila said in warning, "Avon!" Cally reached for Avon's arm. Avon brushed her off and took another step forward. "What will it be, Jenna?"

Jenna lifted her pistol higher. There was a wary look on her face.

_What are you playing at, Avon? What is this? A noble gesture? You are not capable of that, _thought Jenna.

Avon took another step forward away from the others. His gun was still pointed downwards.

_One more step. A quick jerk of the gun upwards. Jenna will take her revenge and then it would be all over. As it should have been many years ago. No more threat to anyone._

A sharp stab of pain in his knee caused him to almost collapse to the ground. Avon gasped and gripped his cane hard. It was the only thing which kept him standing. His gun clattered to the ground as he held his knee.

They all stood frozen in shock as they watched him.

Waves of pain. He could barely breathe. The last time he had felt this much pain from the implant was back at the Detention Centre when he was being tortured.

_No!_

"What are you playing at?" asked Jenna. Her tone indicated that she believed it was all an act. She stepped towards him, her gun trained on him.

Cally came forward to Avon's side and tried to support him. "Avon, what's wrong?"

"They're here." He looked at her and saw the gun she was holding. Avon grabbed it before she had a chance to react and backed away from her. He pointed the gun at her and the others threateningly.

"What are you doing, Avon?" Cally asked in shock and moved towards him.

He pointed the gun at her. "Stay back, Cally. I don't want to hurt you. But I will." There was coldness in his tone.

Cally could feel it from him. He had completely cut himself off from her. The last time she had felt this from him was when he had pointed a gun at Tarrant before going down to Terminal. Avon was serious then. He was serious now. She moved backwards a step.

"I'm glad you proved me right," said Jenna cynically. "It will make it even more satisfying when I kill you."

_You're a fool, Jenna_, thought Avon.

The pain from his knee was increasing. He couldn't spare the energy to think of a clever retort. It took all of his self-discipline to control the pain.

_I have to get out now. Get away from them while I still can._

"If you make a move, I will kill them," said Avon coldly. His gun pointed towards Cally and the others.

The look on Vila's face almost stopped him. There was disappointment, anger, betrayal and hurt.

Avon backed his way towards the exit but kept his gun trained on his friends. His limp was very pronounced now even with the cane. He could barely keep going.

Jenna didn't make a move.

_Well, at least you're not capable of that. You won't harm your friends, _thought Avon

He could hear the door slide open behind him as he approached. Before he cleared the exit Avon warned them, "Don't follow me. Get out now. They're coming."

He cleared the exit. The door slid closed. He shot out the door panel, preventing them from following him.

Before he could turn around, Avon could hear people approaching from behind. He studied the gun in his hand. Before he could do anything else, there was an explosion of pain. Avon screamed and fell to the ground. He couldn't keep his hold on the gun and it fell beside him. He writhed in pain; holding a knee which was now in someone else's control.

Through a haze of agony, he was aware of people surrounding him. Familiar black shapes. They kicked away his gun and cane and lifted him to his feet. A set of restraints was secured around his wrists. The pain gradually reduced until he was able to concentrate again.

Avon looked around him. It was as he had expected. They were Federation troops.

_I was a fool to not end it while I was still inside. _

His shoulders slumped. Avon felt ill.

The Federation soldiers dragged him away.

* * *

When the door slid closed, crewmates and rebels alike, rushed towards it. Then there was the sound of a shot as the door panel was destroyed from the other side. They all reacted to protect themselves from something which never came.

They approached the door cautiously again. The first one to reach it was one of the rebels. He looked cautiously through the window which was embedded in the door. He immediately ducked down. "Federation!" he whispered.

The others immediately ducked or flattened themselves against the wall. There was the sound of a scream.

Cally went to the door and peeked out carefully. She saw Avon writhing on the ground in pain. He was surrounded by Federation troops. One of them kicked away the cane and gun which lay near him.

"Vila! Get this door open!" she whispered urgently.

"Why? There's Federation on the other side."

"They have Avon."

Vila hesitated. He wasn't sure he wanted to open the door for the man who had just tried to kill them.

"Vila! Don't you remember? Avon tried to warn us. He said that they were coming. He was trying to protect us."

Jenna said cynically, "You're fooling yourself, Cally. Avon did no such thing. He was just trying to save his own skin. Like he always does. How could he know that the Federation was out there? Unless he has telepathy like you do. We should just leave him to them."

Cally was angry. Angry that Jenna's hatred had blinded her to the truth. _I will not let you do this._

She took a step towards Jenna and before anyone realized what she was going to do, punched her in the face.

Jenna reeled back in shock and put her hands up to protect herself. Cally struck again and punched her in the stomach. Jenna doubled over in pain and went down.

"You don't understand!" said Cally. She stood angrily over Jenna. "Avon did know. He knew the moment he felt the pain in his knee."

"I don't understand, Cally," said Vila. "How could the pain tell him that they were coming?"

"None of you understand," Cally told them. "The pain from his knee doesn't come from any injury. It never did. It comes from a device they put in his knee to cause him pain. They used it to control and torture him. When the pain suddenly increased, he knew that they were here."

"He must have told you that just to get you to feel sorry for him," said Jenna sarcastically. She got up. Her hand was rubbing her face where Cally had punched her. There was an ugly bruise developing.

"How can you be so blind?" asked Cally angrily. She felt like hitting the woman again but restrained herself. "When has Avon ever wanted anyone to feel sympathy for him? He has always hated it. I examined his knee. There was no injury. I felt the device."

Vila swallowed. He had made a terrible mistake. "We have to get the door open." He went to the door and looked out.

There was no one there. The Federation troops had all gone and taken Avon with them.

"They're gone!" Vila told them in shock.

_What have we done?_


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

Servalan studied the man sitting opposite her. They were in her cabin onboard her command ship. He was staring straight ahead, but did not seem to see her. There had been no sound from him since he had been delivered by the guards several minutes earlier.

"Look at me, Avon," she commanded him.

"Why? What you require from me doesn't need me to look at you, does it?"

"Are we going to keep this civil?" she asked.

"I refuse to indulge your fantasies of polite repression," said Avon.

"Is that all there is between us?"

"I have never been anything other than a useful tool to you, Servalan. A source of entertainment to satisfy your sadistic whims. Let's not pretend otherwise."

"You underestimate your value, Avon."

Avon shifted his eyes to look at her. There was a darkness in them; a deep-seated hatred.

"Either use me or return me to my cell. I have no interest in continuing this conversation," he told her coldly.

"Is that why you think you're here?"

"Don't insult me, Servalan. We both know why I'm here in your cabin rather than in your office. Unless your normal place of business is in your bedroom."

"Be careful, Avon," she warned him.

"Spare the threats. They don't impress me. What could you possibly do to me that you haven't already done?"

"I'm sure I can think of something. There are no limits for a creative mind."

Servalan had never intended to threaten or bait him like this but she couldn't help herself.

Since Avon had been brought to her cabin, there was something in his attitude which troubled her. Something beyond the insults and hatred; those she had expected. She hadn't been able to identify it until now.

There was a fatalism. He was still fighting her; but it was an empty fight.

Servalan stood up and crossed over to his side of the desk. She stood close behind him. He was very aware of her physical presence. His breathing had quickened.

"You hate me, don't you Avon?"

"More than you could possibly imagine."

"Don't move," she told him.

She reached out with her hand and touched his neck. Then she traced her fingers lightly down his back. He flinched but did not move away. He was barely breathing. Where she was touching him was a place where she knew there was a scar; knew because she had given it to him. Everytime he felt it, he would remember the pain she had inflicted on him. In a way, it was her mark of ownership over him.

She could feel the tension in his body. He was like a trapped but dangerous animal. There was an energy beneath her fingers; a coiled anger she would never allow to be released. His breathing was shallow.

The power she had over him was almost intoxicating. It was stronger than any aphrodisiac.

_I've missed this, _thought Servalan.

She reached up and traced the line of his jaw. He stayed still. They both knew that if she wanted him, that there was nothing he could do to stop her.

It would be so easy.

Servalan grabbed his hair and forced his head up to face her. She bent down but did not kiss him. They were so close that Servalan could almost feel his anger. She drew her other hand down his chest slowly, sensually. He tried to move away but she gripped his hair harder, causing his jaw to tighten in pain.

"No," she admonished him. "I said don't move." As she continued to caress him, she could feel the heat given off by his body. Her hand slid inside his tunic. His breathing had deepened. She recognized the reactions of his body. After all this time, the physical attraction was still there. She felt him shiver involuntarily.

_Yes. _She kissed him and he responded to her. Servalan wanted to smile. _You are still mine._

He was trying to fight the affect she was having on him but couldn't. This part of the conditioning was still in place.

Her hand let go of his hair and pressed her ring against the back of his neck. Avon reacted in surprise at the sharp jab of pain then he slumped against her, unconscious.

Servalan sighed. There was a reason why she had him brought onboard. This wasn't it; no matter how much she wanted it.

Servalan called for her personal guards and watched as they carried him out.

The psych specialists at the Detention Centre had warned her that if she intended to use him the way she had done before, if she attempted to have him reconditioned again, the likelihood was that his mind would not survive. Too much damage had already been done.

She could not risk it. He was too valuable. And a world without an Avon who could fight her was not worth contemplating. He had to be given time to heal: physically, mentally and psychologically. At the moment he was too unstable and he would never accept help from her. He had to be with people whom he felt safe with.

But Servalan would never let him go unless she knew there was someone who would protect her asset until he was ready for her again.

The purpose of Servalan's arrival over Papos had never been to capture him. It had been to test Argus. She had to know to what extent Argus was willing to protect Avon.

Finding Argus alone on the ship had been fortuitous. It had facilitated her purposes. The psychostrategist and the psych specialist she had working on him when she wasn't talking to him, had confirmed her own instincts about him. It had been a carefully prepared plan to trap him.

Servalan already knew Argus's abilities. He was one of the best field commanders the Federation had ever produced; he was a superb killing machine. He was also a man afflicted with a conscience; someone who had a natural affinity with those he led and those he had formed an attachment to.

These qualities were weaknesses for a Federation officer but they made him well suited to protect her asset. They also made him vulnerable to the kind of unscrupulous manipulation Servalan was very good at.

There was another equally important reason for allowing Avon this temporary freedom. Argus had been right. She needed Avon to help in the fight against the alien incursion; but he would never work with her directly. This part of what she told Argus had been true. She had wanted the formal alliance between them.

The Federation's forces were still years from reaching the strengths it enjoyed before the alien invasion at Star One. They could not effectively fight the aliens on their own.

While she had worked on Argus, she had another idea.

He was a useful man. With him doing her bidding, she would gain a powerful weapon. A tool she could use to destroy her enemies; as long as she could help him overcome his quaint sensibilities.

Servalan smiled. Argus would never know that the agreement he made with her was an illusion.

Servalan had allowed him to see that she was concerned for Avon; had appealed to his awareness that Avon would not survive being imprisoned by her again. The best lies are those based on a measure of truth. It had not taken much persuasion to convince him that she was twisted enough not to let Avon go unless she got something in return.

She knew that he was still highly suspicious of her and mistrustful of this arrangement; he would not begin to trust her until she appeared to honour their agreement.

Argus thought he was doing this to save Avon from her and the Federation. In reality, he was only there to serve her interests.

There was one final thing she had to do before she would let Avon go.

* * *

"Why didn't you kill him?" Sester asked Reya as they sped away. She had just rapped the Senior Controller at the base of the skull, tied him up and rolled him down a steep ravine.

Reya glanced at Sester briefly. He was still in the driver's seat but she was sitting next to him now. "Contrary to my most recent performance, I don't like unnecessary bloodshed," said Reya.

"When he wakes up, he's going to send people after us," said Sester.

"Yes. But that won't be for at least five hours. And it'll take him some time to get himself back to civilization. "

"By then I imagine he'll be in a foul mood. Assuming he isn't too busy trying to save his own skin that is. I don't think the Federation is very happy with him at the moment."

"I don't imagine they would be."

"Alright dear. Where to now?" he asked her.

"We do what we should have been doing before we were so rudely interrupted," she told him.

"Find Avon and the others?" asked Sester.

"Yes."

"Do you already have a plan?" Sester asked.

"We need to change vehicles. This one is too noticeable. Head back towards the city."

"Right."

Reya glanced at her companion again. "If you want, you could easily link up with the Federation forces in the city. Just drop me off somewhere I can get transport."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were trying to get rid of me," he told her.

She didn't answer him. It had been what she was trying to do.

Sester sighed. "You _are_ trying to get rid of me." He directed the transport vehicle to the side of the road.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

He turned to look at her. Reya stared straight ahead, trying not to meet his eyes. She hated personal scenes and it seemed as if they were headed for one.

"Look, Reya. What happened between us will never happen again. It was only out of necessity. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable around me."

What Sester said was not what he wanted to say but he knew that it was what she wanted to hear.

She turned to look at him. It wasn't going to be as bad as she thought.

"Besides you would probably kill me if I tried anything," he told her jokingly.

"That's more than likely."

From her tone, he wasn't sure if she was joking or not; but he knew she was. At least, he hoped she was.

"I want to help you find the others," said Sester.

"Why? You don't know them. Except for Avon. And I don't think he likes you."

"Not liking me would be putting it mildly," he said wryly. "Do you do any freelance work? I might really need a bodyguard if we do find him."

"You wouldn't be able to afford my fees," she said dryly.

He grinned at her. "I'm serious though. I want to help you find them."

"I still want to know why," said Reya.

"I like to finish things. And it doesn't feel like I have unless we find the others."

"I'm the one who made the promise to Argus," she told him.

"I know. That's why I want to do this. You risked your life to stay with me. I'd like to do something for you."

"You don't need to."

"I'd like to. You might as well let me. The only way you're going to stop me is tie me up." He was determined to help her.

"I could do that."

"Are you always this way when someone offers you help?" he asked.

"Alright. You can help. But on one condition."

"What's the condition?"

"Stop flirting with me."

"Can you ask me to do something easier?"

"That's my condition."

"What if I say that I'll try?"

"Do more than try. Or I might change my mind about tying you up."

He grinned at her then said, "Where do we start?"

"Since the Federation is looking for both you and Avon. Then they don't have him. And neither did Dayto. Argus must have told Jenna that we were coming. That means that they were looking for us and probably still are. So either Jenna was able to find him or he's hiding somewhere."

"That's plausible."

"Do you have any ideas?"

"From their actions here, the Federation seems to be taking major actions against any groups opposed to them. Most likely trying to find and remove any harmful irregularities in the population. It may or may not be because of the information I gave Dayto."

"If that's the case, I'd like to go by the main Federation Security building and see what the situation is. Since we have no way of knowing where Jenna or Avon are, perhaps we might be able to find out something from their investigations. I'm assuming that you can do a passable Federation officer if I can get you a uniform? And even if you're caught, you can tell them who you are."

"Are you still trying to get rid of me?"

"Not this time."

* * *

The door panel to the storage facility was too damaged for Vila to do anything about it. In the end, they had to bodily force it open.

"Let's go find Avon," said Cally. Vila, Ture and Allren followed her.

When Jenna and the rebels with her also made moves to go along with them, Cally asked, "Where are you going?"

"We're going to find Avon too," Jenna told her. There was a large red bruise on her face now.

"Not with us," said Cally. She blocked the opened doorway.

"Look, Cally. I don't want to get into a fight. I know you have feelings for Avon. It's blinding you to the truth. Avon is a murderer. He must be brought to justice."

"Don't try to fool yourself, Jenna. What you're after is not about justice."

They stared at each other.

Jenna broke the silence, "Then I guess this is where we part company."

"Jenna, maybe we can talk about it," said Vila. "We don't have to break up. We need each other."

"I'm sorry, Vila but I can't be on a ship that harbours a murderer," Jenna told him.

Vila tried to make her see reason. "I was there, Jenna. Avon did kill Blake. But it was a mistake. A terrible mistake. They both made terrible mistakes. Avon didn't go there to kill Blake. He wanted Blake's help to build up the alliance."

"You must be desperate if you think I'm going believe that," said Jenna. "Why are you trying to defend him, Vila? He used to despise you. He probably still does."

"Yes and I despise him too. But it's not that simple. Nothing ever is with Avon. You must remember that. We get on each other's nerves. And we insult each other. But we respect each other's abilities. When Avon wanted to do something, he always picked me to go with him. And as embarrassing as it is to admit, we cared about each other. We needed each other to stay alive. If it weren't for Avon, I would've been dead ages ago, all of us would have."

"He's got you fooled too," said Jenna sadly.

"You're the fool, Jenna," said Cally angrily. "When has Avon ever wanted people to think he cared? He's always gone out of his way to deny it."

"Then you should believe what he says. He doesn't care about anyone except himself."

"How can you be so blind? It's Avon's actions that prove how he really feels. Vila is right, if it weren't for Avon, we would have all been dead along time ago. We would not be standing here arguing about it."

"You're only saying that because he saved your life," argued Jenna.

"And what does that tell you?" said Cally.

"I know what you want me to say. That Avon did something noble. But all that proves is that he has feelings for you too. Even a cold-blooded murderer can love someone."

Cally fell into an angry silence. Avon's actions the day when he came to rescue her had spoken loudly. She had never discussed this with anyone else before.

_"Will you wait?" _Cally remembered his words.

She said, "You can believe whatever you like, Jenna. You will no matter what we say. We're going to find Avon and you will not follow us."

Jenna nodded. "I wished it didn't have to be this way. We'll give you a five minute start before we leave."

Before they exited, Cally turned around and said, "Don't let vengeance destroy you, Jenna. Vila's right we all need each other."


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

"Unfortunately, none of the places they could have taken Avon, are places we really want to go into," said Allren.

The four were discussing their plans in another convenient dark alley well away from the storage facility.

"But we have to try," said Cally.

Vila said, "Allren is right, wherever they took Avon is probably crawling with Federation soldiers. Not a healthy place for any of us."

"I agree with Cally," said Ture. "We can't give up just because of the danger."

"I'm not saying we should give up. But it doesn't do Avon any good if we get ourselves killed," said Vila.

"I'm not leaving him to the Federation and Servalan," said Cally. "I will not abandon him."

"No one is saying that we should. Let's go take a look first then we can decide what to do next," suggested Allren.

"Take a look where?" asked Vila.

"The main Federation Security building," Allren replied.

"Even going near there is dangerous," said Vila.

Cally said, "That's a good idea; we can see what the situation is first. And find out where Avon is."

She was determined to go in regardless but she wasn't about to let the others know that. Cally was certain that Ture would go in with her even if the others wouldn't.

"Can we do something else first?" asked Allren.

"We can't waste any time," said Cally.

"Well, I'm not going anywhere else until I change out of these clothes," said Allren, indicating his old woman costume. It had been very uncomfortable and restricting when they were trying to escape.

"I don't know, that colour looks good on you and it does set off your eyes," said Vila.

"Don't you ever give up?" asked Allren in annoyance.

"And pass up chances like this? I would never forgive myself," said Vila.

"I suppose we could spare a few minutes," said Cally, trying not to smile. Now that she had taken a good look at Allren, he was somewhat comical; especially since Vila was right, the colour of the dress did set off his grey eyes.

"Thanks for _all_ the support," said Allren sarcastically. He began pulling off his disguise and changed into his own clothes.

* * *

Sester came back after infiltrating the security building. Reya was nearby in their newly acquired transport vehicle. He took off his regulation Federation head piece and ran his fingers through his hair.

"I didn't realize these things were so stifling," he told Reya.

"Did you find out anything?" she asked him.

"Yes. It's not good. They've captured Avon and brought him up to their command ship."

"You're right. That's not good."

"It gets even worse," he told her.

"Have they captured the others too?" she asked, thinking the worse.

"No. But I think that Servalan is on the command ship," Sester told her.

"What? What is her interest here?" This was definitely bad news.

"She has a special interest in Avon."

"Enough to bring her all the way out here? That doesn't make any sense." Reya didn't understand how a major political leader could afford to allow personal considerations to dictate her actions.

"Where Avon is concerned, logic doesn't always come into play for our Federation President," said Sester.

"Alright, we know where Avon is. How to get him out will be a problem. But how about the others?" she asked.

"I was right about Federation Security trying to clamp down on irregular activities. They've identified several groups and have been tracking them. It appears that Jenna Stannis is with one of these groups. I made a copy of their files onto data crystal so that we can study them. I can draw up a profile and identify their likely patterns of activity. We should be able to find them that way."

"You did good work," said Reya. "I'm glad I didn't tie you up."

"So am I." Sester suppressed a grin. He was determined to try not flirting with her.

Reya's eyes widened in surprise. She was looking past him.

"Sester, quick! Intercept that group." She pointed to a group which had just passed them. "It's Cally and Vila." Sester turned around and looked in the direction she was indicating. He recognized Cally.

Putting his headgear back on, he exited the vehicle and rushed after them.

Cally sensed his presence and whirled around. "Can I help you with something?"

Mindful of the threatening nature of the uniform he was wearing, Sester kept his voice even. "Cally."

"Sester?" Cally recognized his voice.

"Yes."

"Why are you wearing that uniform?" she asked warily. Cally wondered if he was trying to trick someone else as he had tricked her. "I thought you were a psychostrategist?"

"It's a long story. We should get off this street. Someone else wants to see you."

"Who?"

"Follow me." Sester led the way back to the vehicle. The door opened. They all looked at it apprehensively but didn't enter.

Someone stuck her head out of the door.

"Reya!" said Cally in surprise.

"Hello, Cally. Get in quickly."

They all squeezed in.

Sester entered last and took his headgear off again. "Sorry about the accommodations. We weren't expecting company."

"I'm so glad to see you, Reya," said Cally warmly. "Avon said that you'd been taken prisoner."

"It's good to see all of you," said Reya. "Yes, we were. But we escaped."

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised," said Cally.

"Let's go somewhere more comfortable and we can debrief," said Reya.

* * *

"I can't believe we came back here," said Vila as he settled himself on one of the smart beds.

"Jenna won't think that we would come back here," said Allren.

Everyone settled themselves on their furniture of choice.

"You were saying that Jenna wants to kill Avon?" asked Reya.

Cally had told the woman some of what had transpired during their journey in the transport.

"Yes. She wants revenge on Avon for killing Blake," said Cally.

"But I thought that Argus said it was a tragic mistake?"

"It was. But Jenna won't believe it. She hates Avon and won't rest until she kills him."

"Then it's a good thing that I found you first," said Reya.

"The Federation took Avon," said Cally.

"Yes, we know," said Sester. "They transported him up to the command ship that's orbiting overhead."

"No!" exclaimed Vila.

"Unfortunately, it's true," said Sester.

Cally looked at him suspiciously. She didn't trust this man. "How do you know this?"

"I was able to infiltrate the Federation Security building," he explained.

"That couldn't have been hard for you. You're one of them," said Cally.

Sester sighed. There was a time when women didn't want to tie him up or do him some bodily harm. "I didn't reveal to them who I was."

"Don't tell me you're tired of working for Servalan. Or has someone given you a better offer?" said Cally.

"Argus asked Reya to find all of you. I thought it was a good idea so I decided to help," he told her.

"I don't trust you. I think you're still working for Servalan. You must be here for some other reason," said Cally.

"He's telling the truth," said Reya. "When we were on the ship, he helped in defeating the invaders. He almost died."

"You trust him?" asked Cally.

"Yes. I do."

"You don't know him, Reya. He's tricky. He was even able to fool me," said Cally.

"I know he's tricky. I've watched him in action. But I also know that he won't betray us."

"Why are you so sure?" asked Cally.

Reya looked at Sester. "You'll just have to trust my judgment. If he does betray us, I will be the first one to hold him accountable."

"Can we speak as if I _am_ here?" asked Sester.

Cally looked at him, "I trust Reya."

"That's all I ask," said Sester.

"What happened on the ship?" asked Cally. "All we know is that Argus contacted us and said he was sending all of you down in life capsules."

Reya's face lost all expression. Even after all this time, just the mention of what happened sent her emotions spiraling.

"I…" She tried to speak and then stopped. She looked at Sester. There was an appeal in her eyes.

Sester nodded in understanding and said to the others, "I don't know everything that happened. I was unconscious for part of it but Reya told me the rest."

As he began explaining, Reya got up and walked away from them. Cally saw that something was wrong but wasn't able to determine what.

"Avon, Argus and Reya were able to destroy most of the invaders' ships. We were able to convince the rest of them that it wasn't a good idea to invade this galaxy, at least for the present. But the Federation arrived shortly afterwards. The _Justice_ was too badly damaged. There was no way to defeat them or to run. The only option was to escape and destroy the ship."

"Why did Argus send all of you down and stay onboard himself?" asked Cally.

Sester looked at Reya. She was standing a distance away with her back towards them. He knew she could hear what he was saying.

He went on, choosing his words carefully. "The autodestruct had been damaged during the fight with the invaders. Argus stayed to destroy the ship manually. He gave his life so that the Federation would not get the ship."

"But he didn't," said Cally. As Sester had said this last part, Cally was getting an idea of what was wrong with Reya.

"What are you saying?" asked Sester. Reya turned around.

Cally looked at Reya and addressed this next part to her, "He's not dead, Reya. Avon said that the ship was never destroyed. That means that Argus is still alive."

"He's alive?" said Reya with shock. It almost looked as if her legs wouldn't support her. There was such a look of joy and relief on her face that it seemed to brighten the entire storage room.

"Yes. You don't have to worry. He's still alive," Cally reassured her.

The look of joy disappeared, Reya's face turned pale. She quickly turned around and bolted from the storage facility.

Cally got up to follow her. Something was definitely wrong.

Sester reached out and stopped her. "It's better if you let me go," he told Cally. He got up and went after Reya. The others all looked at each other.

* * *

When Sester went looking for Reya, he wasn't sure what he would find. He knew that she was a woman who was controlled and kept her emotions in check but where Argus was concerned, she was very vulnerable.

Finding out that Argus was still alive had shocked him; then his thoughts immediately turned to Reya. The look of joy on her face had made him jealous but then he saw the other look and felt guilty. He wanted to help her.

Sester found Reya outside. She was sitting on the ground, her back against the side of the building, her head was bowed; she was crying.

He sat down beside her.

"I'm sorry," he told her. "I know this is difficult for you. But you don't have to feel guilty about what we did."

"You don't understand," she told him.

"You're right. I don't. All that I know is that nothing really happened. What we did was a physical exchange. Nothing more. You didn't have a choice. You had to stay alive in order to keep your commitment to him."

She shook her head and didn't say anything.

Sester persisted, "You don't even have to tell him. He doesn't need to know. I'll never tell him. He will never find out."

"I have to tell him," said Reya.

"Why, Reya? You'll only end up jeopardizing your relationship with him. Even if Argus does understand. Things may never be the same again. Do you want to risk that?"

For some reason Sester found that he was becoming angry. Reya was not thinking rationally and was going to end up harming herself. He didn't want to see her hurt.

She said, "I would never keep the truth from him. I respect him too much. He has the right to know. He has the right to decide."

"Even if he decides he cannot accept what happened?"

"Yes. That is the power we give each other. I would not take it away from him."

It was Sester's turn to shake his head. He could not understand why she would be willing to do this to herself. He decided to try a different approach.

"You're doing it for yourself, Reya. You want a measure of peace. You want him to forgive you because you can't forgive yourself. But there is nothing to forgive. You didn't do anything wrong."

"Stop trying to be a psychostrategist. And stop trying to make me feel better. You're only making things worse. I want to be alone." She got up. "Don't follow me."

Sester wanted to say something else but decided not to. There was nothing he could say now that would change her mind. "Alright. But if you need anything…"

"I won't." Reya walked away from him. _Not from you. _She felt very alone.

Sester wanted to go after her and put his arms around her. He wanted to give her comfort; as he did those many nights they spent together but he knew that it was no longer his place. The only one she would find comfort with was the man whom she was going to give the power to destroy her.


	23. Chapter 23

Argus checked his pistol and waited for the hold to be pressurized. The indicator light went on. He deactivated the lock and opened the door.

The Federation shuttle sat on the holding pad.

Argus positioned himself near it. His senses were on full alert; prepared for anything. He raised his weapon in readiness and waited.

The shuttle door slid open. Two unarmed Federation soldiers appeared at the entrance. Avon was supported between them.

"Carefully. No sudden movements," he told them. "Come towards me slowly."

Argus backed up, keeping his pistol trained on them.

The soldiers did as directed.

"Put him here." He directed them to put Avon down just past the shuttle bay doors leading into the ship.

The soldiers put Avon down while Argus watched.

* * *

After the Federation shuttle left, Argus bent down to check Avon.

_Just unconscious. Probably a sedative. Should wake up soon from the looks of it. Pulse is strong. What did Servalan do to you? What is she playing at? She said that she wouldn't harm you. I was a fool to trust her. But she did return you._

He shook Avon's shoulder. "Avon."

Avon opened his eyes. He felt groggy. The voice calling his name sounded familiar.

"Argus? You _are_ alive. Servalan captured you too?"

"No, Avon. You're back on the _Justice_."

"What?" With Argus's help, Avon struggled up to a sitting position. "Servalan would never do that. She would never let me go." He looked at Argus suspiciously. "What did you do?"

Argus knew this was a crucial moment.

"You're right. Servalan and I came to an agreement."

Argus could see the anger in Avon's eyes and the look of accusation. There was no expression on his face. "An agreement?"

_Are you like everyone else, Argus? Did you betray me?_

Argus continued explaining, "But it's not what you think."

"Then what is it?" Avon asked.

"Servalan has been getting many disturbing reports about alien activity. She recognizes the Federation cannot fight this danger alone. Their troop strengths are still far from being what it was before so she wants an alliance. Until after this threat is over."

Avon stared at him. Argus could imagine that his mind was busy analyzing and calculating.

"That doesn't explain why she let me go," said Avon.

"I gave her a condition. That condition was you. She had to agree to stop hunting you if we helped in this fight."

"And after the fight?" asked Avon.

Argus hesitated. Avon might believe that Servalan would agree to the temporary alliance for mutual self-interest, but it would not be plausible for him to believe that she would continue to honour it after the aliens had been dealt with.

Argus didn't believe it either. He still suspected that Servalan had other hidden motives that he was not aware of.

He said, "After the fight? You know her much better than I do, Avon."

"Yes. I do. She will still be the same devious snake."

"But you'll be much stronger by then," said Argus.

Avon studied the other man.

"You had no right to make that agreement without talking it over with the rest of us," he told Argus.

"You're right. But I need to know if you'll agree."

Avon thought for a moment. "Not until you tell me why you made me part of the condition."

"We will not be as effective in this fight without you."

"That makes you no better than Servalan. You both want to use me."

_Damn._ _That was definitely the wrong thing to say, _thought Argus.

Until now, Argus had not thought about his own motivations. All he knew was that he had to save Avon.

_Why am I doing this for you? _Argus wasn't quite sure. He looked at Avon. There was still suspicion in the other man's eyes.

"I could not allow Servalan to take you again," he told Avon.

"You didn't want to lose your asset any more than Servalan did," said Avon bitterly.

_No, Avon. I need you to trust me._ Argus realized that the only way to get Avon to do that was with the truth. Or at least as much of it as he could tell him.

"I won't lie to you. That is what I did see you as at first. A valuable asset. But that changed after I found out what you did for Cally, for all of us. If it weren't for you, we would be either dead or puppets for Servalan. I would like us to be partners. Equal partners. I will leave this decision about the agreement with Servalan to you. If you decide not to take it, then we will tell her that we will no longer honour it. And we will fight her together." _Why am I saying this?_

"You would do that?" asked Avon.

"Yes."

"You would accept my decision?"

"Yes. I will not honour the agreement with Servalan unless you agree."

Avon looked at Argus. He did not trust people easily.

_But _p_erhaps we can work together. In a limited way._

"So your idea of an equal partnership is to do what I say?" asked Avon.

Argus realized that Avon had made his decision. He held out his hand to the other man. Argus said in a lighter tone. "Don't push your luck."

Avon stared at the offered hand for a moment then extended his own.

_Don't make me regret this, _thought Avon.

* * *

"I take it the ship has been repaired?" asked Avon as they left the hold together.

"Yes. As Zen likes to say, all systems are functioning within normal operating parameters."

Avon stopped suddenly.

"What's wrong?" asked Argus.

Avon walked around slowly. He flexed his knees a few times.

"Avon?"

Avon bent down and felt the area around his right knee.

"It's gone," he said in an astonished, perplexed and uneasy tone.

"The pain?"

"Not just that. The implant is gone," said Avon.

"Servalan," said Argus.

"Yes. Servalan." After what she had done to him on her command ship, Avon was even more suspicious of anything she did.

"For some reason, this makes me more nervous," said Argus. _Yes. Definitely more nervous. But is this aimed at Avon or me? Or both? You're trying very hard to convince us that you're serious about our arrangements, Servalan. Too hard._

"Yes. She never does anything without an ulterior motive. A healthy dose of extreme paranoia would be in order when we talk to her."

"You want to do that now?" asked Argus.

"Oh yes. She'll be expecting us," said Avon with a calculating tone.

"Do you think that doing what she expects is a good way to start off this relationship?"

"She will _think_ we're doing what she expects."

Avon's tone made him apprehensive. "And what _will_ we be doing?" asked Argus.

"Just follow my lead," said Avon.

"Alright. Don't get used to it," said Argus.

* * *

"Servalan." Avon said her name with a cold distaste.

"Avon. I suppose it's too late to ask that we keep things civil?" said the woman on the main viewscreen.

"You call what you did to me as keeping things civil?"

"You're angry."

"How observant of you," said Avon sarcastically. "Worthy of Vila."

"Comparing me to Vila. You are angry aren't you?" she remarked.

"On second thought, I would not insult Vila by comparing him to you."

"I had the surgeons remove the implant."

Avon said sarcastically, "You used to be less obvious, Servalan. Do you think that removing it makes any difference? You're the one who had it put there in the first place. And you had great pleasure in using it."

"I could have left it in place," said Servalan.

"Yes but then you wouldn't be able to convince us you're sincere about this alliance."

"Argus told you already? He didn't waste any time," she said.

"Yes and he also says he doesn't trust you, which seems highly intelligent of him."

"Does he now?" Servalan shifted her gaze to Argus, who was standing next to Avon and hadn't said a word.

"I have left the decision up to Avon on whether he will agree to this alliance," Argus told her.

"That's very fair-minded of you, _Commander_," said Servalan.

Argus did not react to her deliberate attempt to provoke.

"It's Avon you have to convince, _Servalan_. I don't think he's very inclined to." Argus turned his head towards his companion and asked, "Are you, Avon?"

"I can find no reason to," replied Avon. His eyes had never left Servalan even during her exchange with Argus.

Servalan had a slightly puzzled look on her face. She looked at Argus and then at Avon.

_You must be wondering what we're doing_, thought Argus. _And what I'm doing._

He almost laughed.

"Then why did you contact me?" asked Servalan.

"I will only agree to this alliance on _my_ conditions," said Avon.

"And what do I get out of agreeing to these new conditions?" she asked.

"You need my help, Servalan. I do not need you. In fact, my quality of life would vastly improve if I personally disposed of you."

"You could never do that, Avon," said Servalan. There was silkiness in her voice.

"You underestimate my hatred, Servalan. Why don't you come over to test your theory? For purely scientific purposes, of course."

Servalan smiled. "Very well, present your conditions and I will decide whether they are acceptable to me."

"Your original agreement was for an alliance between us. We will work together to fight the alien incursion. In addition, Argus demanded that you stop hunting me for the duration of this alliance."

"Yes. That is the original agreement."

"These are my additional requirements. The Federation will stop the use of Pylene-50 and the new techno-virus during this time. It does not facilitate resistance to the alien threat if your own people cannot fight them."

As Avon presented his conditions, at first Servalan was shocked. Then she laughed at his audacity.

"That's very clever, Avon. It's totally logical and has the added benefit of fostering rebel resistance. But _I also_ have one additional condition. Argus said that the only permanent solution to prevent the invaders from returning is to reduce the gap between their technology and ours." Servalan said.

Avon had a feeling he was not going to like what Servalan was going to say next.

"I want you to help the Federation reduce that gap," she told him.

"Avon," Argus said in warning. Avon held up his hand to indicate for him to wait.

Avon said to her, "You have a lot of nerve. You're not seriously proposing that I help you increase the technological level of the Federation?"

"If you don't then what you, Argus and Sester did would be for nothing."

It was move and countermove; each one raising the stakes to achieve the most advantageous position the other would be willing to accept.

For a few moments there was silence then Avon said, "I will only help you with defensive capabilities. I will have approval over any project. And I must have full autonomy on those projects. That is the only way I will agree."

"Very well. I agree to your additional conditions. In return, for the duration of the alliance, I will suspend the spread of Pylene-50 and the techno-virus."

Servalan didn't think they needed to know that she had considered the value of these bio-weapons as limited at best; considering Avon already possessed the cure to both. It was only a matter of time before he would try to form another alliance to mass produce and distribute the antidotes.

* * *

"She _is_ devious," said Argus.

"We'll have to be careful," said Avon.

"Agreed. Nicely done. But this arrangement with the projects. I don't like it."

"You don't have to like it," said Avon.

"For her to ask you to do this…"

"I can handle it."

"You're not going in alone." Argus was not about to let Servalan have access to Avon again without lots of protection; agreement or no agreement. He didn't believe that she would be able to resist the temptation.

"I don't plan to," said Avon. "I will be controlling the conditions. Everything I work on will be available to us. And it gives me access to some equipment for research purposes which would normally be very difficult to acquire."

Argus smiled wryly, "I should have known. Motives within motives. You both give me a headache."

"Well, at least it's possible to survive mine."

"Let's get the others back up."

"Before we do that, there is something we need to discuss."


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty-Four

"You're not surprised," remarked Avon dispassionately. His companion was deep in thought and hadn't spoken for a few moments.

"No. Unfortunately not," said Argus. He had been thinking about what Avon had just told him; about what had happened with Jenna on the planet. The two men were seated on the couches on the flight deck.

"You expected this?" asked Avon. He wondered why Argus wouldn't have mentioned that Jenna might have possible homicidal tendencies towards him.

"I had hoped that she had gotten over her obsession and moved on," explained Argus.

_After serving the Federation for so long, I would have thought you would have grown out of trusting people, _thought Avon.

He said, "Evidently not. She won't rest until I'm dead."

"That makes her even more dangerous than Servalan right now. At least with Servalan we have a temporary alliance."

"If you believe her," said Avon cynically.

"You think it's a trap? You don't think she'll honour the agreement?" asked Argus.

_Almost said agreements. I have to watch that, _thought Argus.

"Everything serves as a trap for her. The only unknown factor is when the trap will be sprung."

"Then why did you agree?"

"Servalan may be a devious snake but even she recognizes the value of working together for mutual survival. Within the strict conditions of the agreement, we can trust her to act for self-interest."

"And outside that, we should watch our backs?"

"Just watching our backs will not be enough with Servalan," said Avon.

"It sounds like we'll need to do some contingency planning before we begin this agreement with Servalan. Your experience with her will help in identifying possible hazards we should keep an eye on. Come up with a comprehensive strategy. Try to position ourselves in the best possible position once the alien threat has been neutralized. Maybe set up some additional security protocols with Zen and ORAC. But our immediate concern is bringing up the others. And deciding what to do with Jenna," said Argus. When he was planning, he found it hard to stop.

Avon was staring at him.

"Avon?" Argus asked with concern. He wondered if all of this talk of Servalan was having an adverse affect on the other man.

"Let's discuss Jenna," said Avon.

"I want to give her a chance to explain. See if we can work something out."

"You're an optimist, Argus. Do you seriously think she'll listen to reason?"

"Jenna is a friend. I have to give her a chance."

Avon fell silent. _A friend. I should have given him another chance. _His stomach twisted in pain. He grimaced.

"Avon?" said Argus in alarm.

Avon shook his head. "I was…remembering something."

"Are you alright?"

"Yes. You said that you want to give Jenna a chance. What kind of chance?" asked Avon. The last thing he wanted to do was discuss what he had been thinking.

"A chance to rejoin us. If she is willing to put aside her obsession."

"How do you want to do this?"

Argus looked at Avon in surprise. "You agree?"

"We still need a pilot."

"I won't take her back onboard unless I'm sure that she won't try to kill you," said Argus.

"I still think you're being overly optimistic," said Avon.

* * *

"My psychostrategist escaped before the Security forces arrived?" asked Servalan. She was not happy.

"Yes, Madame President," said Space Commander Tau. "It appears that he and a female prisoner kidnapped the Senior Controller and escaped from the complex just before we arrived."

"That was very enterprising of him," said Servalan thoughtfully. She wondered why Sester had not contacted the Federation forces if he had managed to escape.

_Where are you, Sester? What is that scheming mind thinking of? _

Servalan remembered what Argus had said. Sester had worked with them in driving off the invaders.

_Are you taking this opportunity to escape me? _she wondered. _Is that why I have not heard from you yet?_

"I want him found," said Servalan.

"It will be done, Madame President," said Tau.

"What is the status of the operation?"

"It was a complete success. They never knew what hit them."

"The two most important people on the complex managed to escape. I would hardly call that a success," said Servalan.

"We _will_ find them, Madame President. It's only a matter of time." Tau tried to reassure her.

"Don't make me regret promoting you Space Commander."

"I promise you, Madame President. They will be found."

"Make sure that you do. Now tell me about this female prisoner that escaped with Sester."

* * *

Sester came back into the storage room without Reya. The others looked at him with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion. He settled himself on one of the smart beds, closed his eyes and leaned back to rest.

Cally came up to him. "Tell me what happened," she told him.

Sester opened his eyes and stared up at her. He could guess what she wanted to know. "Nothing that you have to be concerned about. Reya was just shocked. We thought that Argus was dead. She needs to be alone for awhile."

"I had almost forgotten how good you are at answering a question without really answering it," said Cally. "Don't forget. I know how charming you can be. What happened between the two of you?"

"Don't pursue it, Cally. I'm not going to tell you. This is something between Reya and Argus."

"If I found out that you hurt her…" Cally said in a threatening tone.

"I would never do that. Not intentionally."

There was a muffled sound. It sounded like a voice. They all looked around for the source.

"It's the bag," said Vila. He opened up the equipment satchel.

This time they clearly heard, "Cally, this is Argus. Respond."

"That's Argus!" said Vila. He started rummaging through the bag and pulled out Cally's teleport bracelet.

"Cally, this is Argus. Respond please."

Vila activated the comm on the bracelet. "Argus! Are we glad to hear from you!"

"Avon must have fixed the teleport bracelet," said Cally.

"But why wouldn't he tell us?" asked Allren.

"Vila, is everyone there? I'm coming down with teleport bracelets. How many of you are there?" asked Argus.

"There's six of us," said Vila.

"Six?" asked Argus in surprise.

Cally reached out for the teleport bracelet. Vila handed it to her.

"Yes, Argus. Reya and Sester are with us as well," she spoke into the bracelet.

"She is?" They could all hear the astonishment and joy in his voice. "Alright, I'm coming down now. Argus out."

Within a few seconds there was a familiar sound and suddenly Argus was with them in the storage room.

"I'd never thought I'd say this, but I'm _really_ glad to see you," said Vila enthusiastically.

"Thank you. I think…" said Argus as he handed Vila a teleport bracelet.

"We're _all_ glad to see you," said Cally.

"Where's Reya?" Argus asked.

"I'll go get her," said Sester as Argus handed him a bracelet.

"No. I'll go," said Cally, intercepting him.

"You don't know where she went," Sester told her. He brushed her off and went to find Reya.

Argus looked at them both. He was aware that something was going on but he wasn't sure what. He handed bracelets to Ture and Allren.

"I didn't realize that Avon had fixed the teleport bracelet," said Ture as he studied Cally's old unit.

"He didn't," explained Argus. "Not the teleport part of it. Just the comm function. He was going to tell you but events got in the way. And he didn't want to use the comm before the teleport capability was repaired. It would have given the Federation a way to fix your location."

"Then we need to get out of here as soon as possible," said Cally.

"Not exactly," said Argus.

"I thought you said that if we use the comm, the Federation would be able to locate us?" asked Allren.

"Circumstances have changed," said Argus. "I'll explain when we get back onboard."

The look on Argus's face changed.

They all turned to face the storage exit. Reya had entered with Sester trailing behind her. It looked as if she had been running. She stopped when she saw him. They both stared at each other, neither one able to move. The shock of finally seeing each other alive paralyzed them with joy and relief. The energy between them was so strong that they all seemed to feel it.

Argus smile shyly. "Reya."

"Argus." Her voice was a whisper.

From the moment Reya entered, for the two of them, it seemed as if they were the only ones in the storage room.

"Shouldn't we be getting out of here?" asked Sester, breaking the moment between the two lovers. They both looked at him in momentary confusion, as if they had just noticed the others. Sester could see the unhappy look Reya directed towards him. He tried to avoid her eyes.

"Yes. You're right. There will be time for everything once we get back on the ship," said Argus. He handed the last teleport bracelet to Reya.

He spoke into the teleport bracelet, "Avon, we're ready for teleport."


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Five

Reya sat alone in her cabin onboard the _Justice_. Argus had gone back down to the planet to take care of something. He promised that he would be back soon.

She knew that Argus loved her and he would most likely understand and forgive her.

But she was afraid; afraid that no matter what happened, that things would change between them.

* * *

Argus kept his hands in plain view, indicating that he was unarmed. He was sitting in a quiet outdoor café, seemingly enjoying a coffee. On the table sat a spare teleport bracelet. 

Argus remembered the last time he had sat down in a café like this. It had been with Jenna. They were on a mission together, staking out a rendezvous point across a street.

He sighed. It seemed like along time ago.

Argus would have preferred being with Reya now, in his cabin onboard the _Justice_. But instead he had contacted Jenna using the modified comm unit, asking for a meeting.

"Argus, it's good to see you." Jenna's voice came from behind him. Argus turned to look at her.

"_Is it_ good, Jenna?" he asked her. She sat down opposite him.

"You might as well save your breath. You won't be able to change my mind. It's either Avon or me."

"It doesn't have to be like this, Jenna."

"Yes, it does. Look, Argus. I know you're in a difficult position. I even understand you choosing Avon over me. He's much more useful."

"Jenna." Argus shook his head. "You know me better than that."

Jenna paused and then said, "Yes. That was unfair of me. I do know you. You feel you have to protect Avon because he's weak now."

"Jenna. If you think that, then you never knew me at all. This is not about Avon. This is about you. This obsession will destroy you. It almost did before. Do you want to go back to that? If you kill Avon, it won't purge your demons. But it will change you in ways you will never be able to undo. Ways that make you as bad as the person you think Avon is."

"Don't compare me to Avon," said Jenna angrily.

"I know you don't want to hear this but killing Avon will not erase your own feelings of guilt. That is what this is really about. It doesn't matter why Avon killed Blake, _does_ it? Not for you. You think by killing Avon, you won't have to feel guilty for abandoning Blake. You won't have to feel responsible for not being there to stop what happened."

"Stop it!"

"Am I wrong, Jenna?"

"I need justice."

"_You_ need justice? You won't find it by killing Avon. Nor will you find peace that way. You already _know_ what happened on Gauda Prime, Jenna. We both do. Vila told us. Are you going to compound the mistakes made that day by both Blake and Avon, by making another one? The mistakes already cost Blake his life. Do you really want another one to cost Avon his? Is that what justice is? Avon has been paying for both of their mistakes every moment since that day."

Jenna was still unwilling to see the truth. "I don't see how. Blake is dead. That will never change. Avon is still alive."

"Do you call what Avon has now as living? Yes. He is walking around. He even has a semblance of a life. But at any moment, he can slip into a nightmare that fills him with such fear, guilt and horror that it paralyzes him. He can still barely function. Even simple things such as choosing what he is to wear or eat overwhelm him. The Federation nearly destroyed his mind, Jenna. He will never be free from the drugs which enable him to function normally. Do you call that living?"

"What does a man like him know about guilt?" she said angrily.

Argus was getting frustrated with her. "Don't be a fool, Jenna! If he wasn't capable of guilt, do you think Servalan would be able to do what she did to him? That is what she had to use to break him. Torture was not enough. But preying on his deep sense of guilt and remorse; that was what she used to destroy him!"

"You're just like Blake! You're seeing what you want to see! He always thought Avon was a better man than he pretended to be. That underneath it all, he was still human. But I never believed it. I know what he was really like!"

Argus realized that no matter what he said, Jenna's hatred was so deep that she was deaf to anything he was saying. She would never see what she didn't want to see.

Argus said sadly, "You never got over your obsession, did you Jenna? Not really. You only put it aside because it didn't seem possible to achieve what you wanted. You didn't know if Avon was still alive or where he was then. But you do now."

The change in his tone made Jenna calm down. "I'm sorry, Argus. You're a good friend. But I can't change how I feel. And I can't return with you."

Argus picked up the spare teleport bracelet and stood up. "I will not give up on you, Jenna," he told her. Jenna stood up too.

Argus said, "I hope you find some truth before your obsession destroys you. But if you try to hurt Avon. I cannot stand idly by."

"You would kill me? For _him_?" she asked bitterly.

"I would never kill you. But I _will_ stop you."

* * *

Argus and Reya were finally alone. It did not take them long to be in each others arms. Their kiss was deep and passionate. 

"I missed you," said Reya when they finally came up for air.

"I couldn't tell," Argus said smiling.

Reya did not want this to end. She did not want to break the moment but she knew that the longer she waited, the harder it would be to do what she had to do. She pushed him away gently.

"Argus."

"What's wrong, Reya?" He looked into her eyes, trying to understand the distress he was seeing there.

"I have to tell you something," she told him.

He waited for her to continue.

"When I was down on the planet. Sester and I slept together."

Her eyes never wavered from his as she said this. She could see a brief flash of shock, a moment of hurt and anger and then blankness.

"Why are you telling me this?" he asked her.

Argus realized that he had no right to expect Reya to be physically exclusive to him. He realized that it had been unfair of him to assume something without discussing it with her first.

To him it didn't matter how she viewed their relationship; he loved her and he was certain that she felt the same. That was enough for him.

"Don't say that, Argus!" said Reya, it was as if he had just stabbed her through the heart. "Don't act as if it doesn't matter!"

"We're both independent adults. We have no hold on each other. What we do outside of our relationship is our own business," he told her.

"You're only saying that because you think that it will make things better. But it doesn't, Argus. It just makes me feel even worse."

"You don't owe me anything, Reya. I don't want you to feel bad about it."

"Please, Argus. Stop." There were tears in her eyes.

This threw him into confusion. By saying what he did, he _had_ thought to make things better. He held her tighter; unsure what to do next.

"I don't understand," he told her.

"You're an idiot! I do want it to make a difference," she told him.

He looked even more confused, "You _want_ me to be angry?"

"Yes. I do not want it to be alright. I need you to say that it's not alright."

"Tell me what happened," said Argus.

She nodded and began telling him the events that occurred after the life capsules landed.

* * *

Sester had been sitting at the table in one of the cabins onboard the _Justice_. He was at a loss at what he should do next. Argus and the others had brought him aboard with them; extending the hospitality of the ship. But he was at a crossroads. 

So many things had happened over the course of the last few weeks that Servalan seemed to be a distant memory. Sester knew that if he wanted, he could be free of the Federation President, free of the Federation.

Part of him rankled at the control that Servalan exerted over his life. But not everything about his life was bad. Most of it was quite good. Unlike some of his freelance colleagues, a psychostrategist working for the Federation gave him many privileges and advantages.

He even enjoyed the danger that an association with Servalan gave him. It had been something he had not expected.

But there was a strong reason for him to not go back. It had started the day he entered the Federation Special Detention Centre and met Avon. For the first time, he committed one of the greatest mistakes a psychostrategist could make; he felt sympathy for one of his own subjects, he had felt respect. It had culminated in something which was unforgivable; he had let Avon go. That act had almost cost Sester his life.

Then in the interaction with Avon and Argus on the invader's ship and working together against impossible odds against the invaders, Sester discovered that for once the nameless masses did mean something more to him than just being puppets with strings to be pulled.

There was also one final compelling reason. He wasn't sure whether it was a motive for him to go or to stay.

The buzzer sounded.

Sester went to open the door. He wasn't surprised at his visitor. Sester stepped aside to let Argus in.

"She must have told you," said Sester.

"She did," said Argus.

"It wasn't her fault. She didn't have a choice," said Sester.

"I don't want to hear it. I want you off this ship."

There was no anger in Argus's voice; not even a threatening or warning tone but the effect it produced was that this was not a man to be crossed, if you valued your life.

Sester nodded. He had expected this. "Before I go, I want you to know that the fault was entirely mine. She didn't want to do it. I'm the one who pushed her. I'm a psychostrategist that is what I do. Reya didn't stand a chance against me. But she did it for you. She thought you were dead. We both did. I don't think she wanted to go on after you died. But you made her promise to take care of the others. And in order to do that she had to stay alive."

As Sester explained, he watched the other man's reactions but there was none; there was no expression to read.

"She told me," said Argus.

"I see."

"I believe her."

"Then you don't blame her?" asked Sester.

"No. She never had to worry. I understood what she did and why," replied Argus.

"Then it must be me that you don't believe. And I just confirmed it with my explanation," said Sester wryly.

Argus stared at him; there was anger in his eyes now.

"I don't suppose saying that I never meant to hurt either one of you would help at this juncture?" Sester asked.

"That is why you are leaving this ship by teleport rather than the airlock," said Argus.

Sester was fairly certain that Argus would never contemplate killing him, but not totally.

The two men headed to the teleport room and Argus sent him down to Papos.


	26. Chapter 26

Before Argus could return to Reya, he had one final thing to do. He was now on the flight deck after giving Vila a break.

"Zen, contact Servalan's command ship. Frequency 6982.1. Use access code A5428. Log all communications under my personal security code tied to my voiceprint."

"Confirmed. Communications channel open."

Servalan's face immediately appeared on the main viewscreen.

"Servalan."

"Commander. You broke our agreement."

"No. Servalan. I had already told you, I will not force my crew to work with you. _That includes_ Avon. He is not just a pawn for you to move around."

Servalan smiled. Argus was starting to get very irritated by her smile. He had never seen one so genuine in its insincerity.

"Yes, you did say that. And you're a man of your word."

"It still remains to be seen whether you're a woman of yours," said Argus cynically.

"Now, Argus. After all I've done to prove my sincerity? I returned Avon. In fact he is in better condition now than he has been in along time."

"You removed the implant," remarked Argus.

"Yes. That was not one of the conditions but I did it to prove my good faith." Servalan was trying to sound sincere. It had variable results.

"I'm sure you had other motivations," said Argus with strong sarcasm.

"You are very irritable today," said Servalan.

"Stop with the fun and games, Servalan. I'm not in the mood. What do you want me to do?"

* * *

Avon was trying to rest but he was restless and uncomfortable. After congratulations from everyone on the removal of the implant, they had all left him alone.

He hadn't taken the sedatives; Avon wanted to think.

Many things had happened since they first arrived at Papos. There were many things he needed to sort out; needed to understand.

Being alone was having an adverse effect that he had not considered. Avon had always told himself he wanted to be alone. He could only take people in small, controlled doses; he was a man who normally preferred the solitude of his own company.

Sometimes he did miss people. Missed the interaction and the energy. That was what he had discovered on the Liberator and the Scorpio; though he would never admit it to them, or even to himself.

The years of being imprisoned had taught him what being alone truly meant. Servalan had taught him that. Avon reacted angrily at the thought. All the days in isolation. He had felt very alone.

Avon's jaw tightened, his fists clenched in rate. He could feel his control slipping. The flood of memories and the aching loneliness that came with them threatened to overwhelm him.

That made him even angrier.

_I can't let this happen. _Avon's eyes closed in concentration. The tide of feelings and the memories came under control. Just.

_I don't want to be alone. I can't be alone._

* * *

Sester looked at the woman sitting across from him. He had mixed feelings about being here but there was no turning back.

"Welcome back," said the woman.

"Thank you, Madame President."

* * *

The door buzzer sounded in Cally's cabin.

Cally rolled to face the door. She had been asleep.

She said groggily, "Who is it?"

There was a pause then through the door she heard the answering reply, "Its Avon."

Cally immediately sat upright and got out of bed. She pulled on a robe and went to open the door for him.

Avon stood in the doorway. Seeing what she had on, Avon said, "I'm sorry. I should have known you would be asleep. I'll come back some other time." He turned to go.

Cally touched his arm to stop him. She knew that he would not be disturbing her at this hour without a good reason. She didn't want him to leave.

"No. It's alright. Come in." She moved aside to let him in.

Avon stood poised at the threshold of her cabin. For some reason, he was nervous. This was not the first time he had been to Cally's cabin, either here or on the Liberator. But in the past it had always been for practical reasons; to inform her of something, to ask her something, or to work on something.

He had never come for purely personal reasons before.

"Avon?" She looked at him questioningly.

Avon entered the cabin. He stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, not sure what to do next; he hadn't thought what he was going to do once he arrived. All he knew was that he didn't want to be alone.

Cally was puzzled. He had obviously come there for a reason, but he only stood there, not moving.

"Do you want to sit down?" Cally gestured to a chair.

He looked down at the indicated object. For a moment Cally wasn't sure if he was going to sit down, or just stare at it. Avon sat down while Cally pulled up a chair next to him.

"What is it, Avon? Why are you here?" she asked him gently.

As Avon sat looking at her, he was suddenly afraid. The feelings of guilt were never far away.

_I've done so many things, Cally. What would you think of me if you found out? Would I disgust you? Would you push me away? _

Avon needed her but he was afraid she wouldn't want him. He suddenly felt tired and ill. It was the kind of tiredness which no amount of sleep would ever cure.

After his continued silence, Cally asked, "Are the nightmares bothering you? Are the drugs not working?" There was quiet concern in her voice.

"I didn't take them. I needed to think," Avon told her.

"And that thinking brought you here?"

"Yes."

His eyes searched hers.There was intenseness to his gaze that was disconcerting.

"Can I stay here tonight?" he asked her.

"What are you asking, Avon?" Cally was shocked. She didn't know what to think. A moment like this was not what she had been expecting at this hour.

"I don't want to be alone," he told her.

Cally realized what he was really asking. "You just want to be here? With me? Nothing else?"

"I know what you want, Cally. But I can't give it to you. Not yet." There was sadness in his voice. "I wish I could."

Cally knew that if she pressed him, he would likely leave.

It was already a big step for him to come to her tonight; to admit that he needed her. She was not going to let him down. If this was what he needed, then she would give it to him.

She had been aware of the increasing tides of fear emanating from him. It seemed to be making him feel ill.

"Alright," she told him. "I'll prepare something for you to sleep on."

Avon gave a sigh of relief. He had been afraid that she would insist on more than he was capable of giving her now.

_You always understood me. That's never changed._

"Thank you, Cally. One day, I will be ready. I promise you."

He stretched out and took one of her hands in his. It was such an unexpected and intimate gesture that it caught her breath.

"Are you sure you're not ready now?" she asked softly.

Avon closed his eyes as if he was in pain. His head bowed and his hand tightened around hers. "Yes," he said in an anguished voice. "I wish it was different."

Hesitantly, she reached out and touched his face. Avon almost flinched. In his mind, he remembered another touch, with the barrel of a gun, a cold cellar and an enemy.

His every instinct was causing him to recoil from her touch.

Avon willed himself to stay still. He had come to her tonight out of his own need but he realized it wasn't just about him. He knew what she wanted; he had known for along time.

_I have to try. For you, I have to try. _Hhe was shaking with the effort.

When Cally felt his reaction, she drew her hand away. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," said Avon in a choked voice. He lifted his head to look at her. Cally could see the misery on his face; the pain and anguish in his eyes. "It's mine," he told her.

She could sense so much internal agony in Avon that she wanted to cry for him; because he couldn't.

_What did they do to you, Avon? What did Servalan do? Is that why you wouldn't let me touch you before?_

Cally wanted to put her arms around him and comfort him but she knew that it would cause him more distress. She didn't want him to run. He had come to _her_ tonight, admitting weakness and a need for companionship.

Instead she said, "Do you remember what you asked me on the planet, Avon?"

"Yes. Will you wait?"

"I will, Avon. For as long as you need."


End file.
